Pokémon: League of Ultimates
by PichuAuraGuardian18
Summary: After the Unova League, Ash returns to Pallet Town and learns about a new region from someone from his past. Now, with all of his old friends, Ash travels on a new journey with old and new friends and rivals, and has a new romance! 1st fanfic! Ash & May!
1. Chapter 1

**First fanfic, Hope you enjoy my story- Pokemon****: League of Ultimates! Please review and criticize as necessary! No flames, no cursing in reviews; Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon (Even though that would be so awesome!)**

_Chapter 1: "Unova League Final Battle! Ash V.S. Alder!"_

"Welcome, one and all, to the final battle of the Unova League Conference!" The announcer's voice blared through the speakers of the stadium.

Throughout the stadium, there were thousands of cheering people in the stands, including a girl with long purple hair and a boy with short green hair. In between the two sat two Pokémon. One was a reptilian Pokémon with long gray tusks with red tips and a green cowl. The other was a cat Pokémon with a golden charm on its forehead, cream-colored fur, and a brown-tipped tail.

In the middle of the stadium was a large battlefield with two competitors on either side of it. One was a boy wearing a red cap with a white front and a blue Pokéball symbol on it that covered a head of messy black hair. He had intense brown eyes and little lightning bolt-shaped marks on his cheeks. He wore a blue and white jacket with a yellow zipper, black pants, and red and black high tops.

Beside him was a small, yellow mouse Pokémon with red cheeks, black-tipped ears, brown stripes on its back, a mouth that looked like a sideways three, and a tail that looked like a lightning bolt.

The other competitor was a tall man with red and orange hair put in a ponytail that made it look like his head was on fire. He wore a beige poncho with red, orange, and black stripes on it, white pants that looked like they were torn at the bottom, and black sandals. Around his neck, he wore a necklace of six Pokéballs tied together with thread.

"It all comes down to this!" The announcer continued yelling into his microphone. "It's an epic battle between young trainer Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and the Unova League Champion himself, Alder!"

Ash looked over at his opponent, who simply nodded at him. Ash looked into the stands and saw Iris, Cilan, Meowth, and Iris's Fraxure cheering him on. Ash looked down at his partner, Pikachu, who winked at him, showing that he was ready to help him with the battle.

The referee then stood on his podium in the middle of the field to the side. He raised both green and red flags.

"This will be a six-on-six battle, substitutions are aloud," The referee said to the two opponents. "Once all six Pokémon on one side are all knocked out the battle is over!"

The referee raised his flags higher than ever. Ash grabbed a Pokéball from his belt, and tossed it into the air.

"Serperior, I choose you!" Ash yelled as the ball popped open and large, green snake-like Pokémon appeared onto the field. The ball then flew back through the air and Ash gracefully caught it.

"A Grass-type, eh?" Alder said with a smirk. He then took a Pokéball from his necklace and threw it to the field. "Accelgor, I need your assistance!"

In a flash of blue light, a Pokémon that looked like it wore a pink helmet, wrapped up in blue strips of cloth-like material appeared on Alder's half of the battlefield. It crossed its arms as if it was in an aggressive mood.

"Serperior V.S. Accelgor!" The referee stated as he brought down both flags to signal the start of the battle. "Let the battle begin!"

"Serperior, use Leaf Blade!" Ash commanded.

Serperior's tail sprig began to glow a light green color. It then sprung into the air and aimed to slash down on Accelgor using its tail.

"Accelgor, use Me First!" Alder instructed.

Accelgor then swiftly jumped into the air with great speed and hit Serperior with its arm, which was glowing green like Serperior's Leaf Blade. Upon impact, Serperior was knocked to the ground.

* * *

><p>"How did Accelgor hit Serperior so fast and so powerfully?" Iris asked, surprised by how Accelgor had hit Serperior and knocked it to the ground.<p>

"It used Me First," Cilan explained. "It's a move that allows the user to hit the foe with a more powerful version of the foe's move if its Speed is greater than the foe's."

"So that means Accelgor is faster than Serperior!" Iris exclaimed.

"Fra-xure!" Fraxure said, in shock like its trainer.

"You said it!" Meowth said in awe of the Accelgor's speed.

* * *

><p>Serperior struggled to get up from the ground. It had an angry look on its face. It glared over at Accelgor like it had damaged its pride.<p>

"Now, Accelgor, use Bug Buzz!" Alder ordered.

Accelgor then made a loud, siren-like noise that caused red sound waves to be sent towards Serperior.

"Serperior, use Coil to spring yourself into the air!" Ash yelled.

Serperior nodded and then coiled its long body up tight. Then, just as the sound waves were about to hit it, Serperior launched itself into the air, dodging the Bug Buzz attack.

"Now, use Leaf Storm!" Ash commanded.

Glowing green leaves appeared and began spinning around Serperior's airborne body. Then, they were shot at Accelgor, who was hit due to still using its Bug Buzz attack. As the many leaves struck it, it was pelted until it fell to the ground. It slowly got up, but was covered in the scratches from Serperior's attack. At the time, Serperior had landed gracefully onto the ground.

"Accelgor, use Focus Blast!" Alder instructed.

A light blue ball of energy appeared in between Accelgor's arms. It then threw the ball at Serperior.

"Serperior, use Leaf Blade to hit it back!" Ash yelled.

When the attack came close to Serperior, Serperior swiftly hit it back with its glowing tail. The ball then gained speed and hit the Pokémon who had created it, causing a cloud of dust to surround Accelgor. When the dust cleared, Accelgor was on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Accelgor is unable to battle!" The referee stated to the crowd, pointing the red flag at Serperior. "Serperior is the winner!"

* * *

><p>The crowd cheered. Iris and Cilan watched as Alder held out a Pokéball and caused Accelgor to disappear into it in a flash of red light.<p>

"Ash is doing pretty well so far!" Iris said gleefully. "Who can say that they've beaten even one of the Champion's Pokémon?"

"That's true," Cilan said, focusing on the match. "But's the battle's far from over."

"Yeah, but the twoip will pull through!" Meowth said with a grin. "He always does!"

Iris and Fraxure nodded and returned their gazes to the field.

* * *

><p>"Vanilluxe, I need your assistance!" Alder shouted as he took another Pokéball from his necklace and tossed it into the air.<p>

In a flash of blue light, what looked like and ice cream dish with two faces, one on each scoop, on a icicle cone with a straw sticking out of its right scoop. It floated in the air happily with snow clouds puffing out of the straw.

Ash looked at the Pokémon. He had seen this Pokémon before in his earlier Unova League battle with Trip. Trip's had been tough to beat, so he didn't know how tough this one would be. He began to consider recalling Serperior.

However, he looked up at Serperior and saw that it was still wanting to battle, despite the damage it had received from Accelgor.

"You still want to battle?" Ash asked. Serperior nodded. "Alright then! Let's do this!"

"Serperior V.S. Vanilluxe!" The referee yelled. "Let the battle begin!"

"Serperior, use Leaf Storm!" Ash commanded.

Serperior launched the glowing leaves at its icy opponent.

"Vanilluxe, use Light Screen!" Alder instructed.

A golden box appeared around Vanilluxe and the leaves bounced off of it and fell to the ground, completely harmless now.

"Now, Vanilluxe, use Blizzard!" Alder ordered.

Vanilluxe opened its mouths and released blizzards from them.

"Serperior, no!" Ash yelled. However, it was too late. Serperior now sat on the field in a block of ice, defenseless against any attack Vanilluxe used on it next.

"Finish it off with Flash Cannon!" Alder yelled.

Vanilluxe then fired a silver beam of energy at Serperior, creating an explosion. As the smoke cleared, Serperior lay on the ground with swirly eyes.

"Serperior is unable to battle! The winner is Vanilluxe!"

* * *

><p>Ash returned Serperior to its Pokéball and then smiled.<p>

"Thank you, Serperior," He said as he put the ball back onto his belt. "Take a good, long rest."

Ash then took another ball from his belt and tossed into the air, yelling, "Scrafty, I choose you!"

On the field appeared a bipedal lizard-like Pokémon with red mohawk-like crest on its head, yellow molted skin hanging from its shoulders and legs, resembling a hoodie and pants, and orange-colored body with a gray, scaled belly.

"Scrafty V.S. Vanilluxe! Let the battle begin!"

"Scrafty, use Brick Break!" Ash commanded.

Scrafty's arm glowed white and it then leapt into the air. It brought its arm down on the golden box, causing it to shatter and completely fall apart.

"Now, before Vanilluxe can react!" Ash yelled. "Use Crunch!"

Scrafty's teeth glowed white and then it bit down on Vanilluxe with its mouth. Vanilluxe screamed in pain and then fell to the ground, with Scrafty still clamped on it. It struggled to get up, but then it fell back to the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Vanilluxe is unable to battle! Scrafty is the winner!"

* * *

><p>Alder returned Vanilluxe to its Pokéball. It then switched it with another Pokéball on his necklace.<p>

"Druddigon, I need your assistance!" Alder yelled as he tossed the ball into the air. Soon, a large, blue, hunchbacked, reptilian creature with medium-sized wings shaped like thistle leaves and a red head appeared onto the field.

Druddigon stood menacingly over Scrafty and roared. Scrafty, however, bared its teeth and stood its ground.

"Scrafty V.S. Druddigon! Let the battle begin!"

"Scrafty, use Hi Jump Kick!" Ash commanded.

Scrafty leapt into the air, its knee glowing orange-red in color.

"Druddigon, use Night Slash!" Alder instructed.

Druddigon's claws glowed red and it struck Scrafty down to the ground. Scrafty struggled to get up.

"Now, finish it with Outrage!" Alder yelled.

Druddigon's eyes began to glow red and its body became outlined in a red aura. It then went on a rampage and then began to attack Scrafty violently with punches and kicks. When it moved away, Scrafty lay on the ground with its eyes swirled.

"Scrafty is unable to battle! Druddigon is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"Scrafty, return and take a good rest!" Ash said as Scrafty's Pokéball shot a red light at it and caused it to disappear in a flash of red light. He then took a Pokéball from his belt and looked at it, and then looked at the Druddigon with a look of determination on his face.<p>

"Samurott, I choose you!" Ash yelled as he threw the Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of blue light, a quadruped, blue sea lion-like Pokémon appeared onto the field.

"Samurott, use Aqua Jet!" Ash ordered.

Samurott jumped into the air, its body surrounded by blue energy. It then became surrounded by water and rocketed itself towards Druddigon.

"Druddigon, use Superpower to grab it!" Alder instructed.

Druddigon's body became outlined in a blue aura. It then held out its hands and caught Samurott as it came in for impact. The water fell to the ground and Samurott was still held in the air, being damaged by Druddigon's rough skin.

"Now throw it into the air and then jump after it using Night Slash!"

Samurott was flung into the air and then Druddigon leapt after it with glowing red claws.

"Samurott, quick, use Razor Shell to block it!" Ash shouted.

Samurott then drew a large, beige colored sword from its leg and slashed the now glowing-blue blade onto the Night Slash attack, causing sparks to fly.

The two then landed on the ground, both breathing heavily. This battle would be over in one more attack.

"Druddigon, use Night Slash!"

"Samurott, use Razor Shell!"

The two then ran towards each other, claws and blade-ready. They both slashed at each other and landed on opposite sides of the field with their backs turned to each other. They both were breathing harder than ever.

Then, they both fell to the ground, both knocked out.

"Neither side is able to battle, so this round is pronounced a tie!"

* * *

><p>Ash and Alder then both returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs and took another Pokéball each and threw it to the field.<p>

"Emboar, I choose you!" Ash yelled as an enormous, bulky, boar-like Pokémon with a blazing beard of fire appeared in front of him.

"Escavalier, I need your assistance!" Alder said as a floating knight-like Pokémon with lance hands appeared onto the field

"Emboar V.S. Escavalier! Begin!"

"Emboar, use Flamethrower!" Ash commanded.

Emboar then released a stream of red-orange fire from its mouth at Escavalier.

"Escavalier, dodge and use X-Scissor!" Alder ordered.

Escavalier swiftly dodged the Fire attack and then put its lances together and charged towards Emboar with a light blue energy shaped like an "X" appearing in front of it.

"Emboar, quick, dodge it and use Hammer Arm!" Ash yelled.

Emboar just barely dodged the X-Scissor attack and then, as Escavalier was passing it, it hit Escavalier to the ground with an arm that was glowing white.

"Now, use Heat Crash!" Ash instructed.

Emboar jumped into the air and an orb of red-orange fire appeared around it. It then fell straight to the ground and landed on Escavalier. After getting off of Escavalier, everyone could see that Escavalier had been knocked out.

"Escavalier is unable to battle! Emboar is the winner!"

* * *

><p>Alder then returned Escavalier to its Pokéball and put the ball back onto his necklace, grabbing another and tossing it into the air.<p>

"Volcarona, I need your assistance!" He yelled as a white moth-like Pokémon appeared in the sky.

"Emboar, return!" Ash said, holding its Pokéball up and causing Emboar to disappear in a flash of red light. He then took another Pokéball and threw it into the air.

"Unfezant, I choose you!" He said as a gray game bird-like Pokémon appeared in the sky.

"Unfezant V.S. Volcarona! Begin!"

"Unfezant, use Aerial Ace!" Ash commanded.

Unfezant's body was surrounded by white streaks of light as it flew towards Volcarona.

"Volcarona, use Bug Buzz!" Alder ordered.

Volcarona began to make a loud screeching sound, and then, red sound waves came from it and hit Unfezant, hurting it and causing it to fall to the ground.

"Now, use Hyper Beam!" Alder yelled.

Volcarona sent a large, orange beam of light down from its mouth onto the grounded Unfezant. It was so powerful that it knocked it out in an instant.

"Unfezant is unable to battle! Volcarona is the winner!"

* * *

><p>Ash returned Unfezant to its Pokéball, and just as he was about to send out Emboar, he felt a tug on the leg of his pants. He looked down and saw Pikachu with a look of intensity in its eyes.<p>

"You want to battle, Pikachu?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded. "Alright then, Pikachu, I choose you!"

Pikachu ran onto the field. It looked up at its opponent with sparks dancing on its cheeks.

"Pikachu V.S. Volcarona! Begin!"

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled.

"Volcarona, use Overheat!" Alder shouted.

An explosion occurred as yellow lightning and white-and-orange fire collided in mid-air.

"Now, Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu ran and jumped into the air, its tail taking on a metallic shine. It then struck Volcarona down with its tail.

"Pikachu, finish it off with Electro Ball!" Ash instructed.

At the end of Pikachu's tail, a yellow orb of electricity appeared and Pikachu used its tail to launch the orb at Volcarona, creating a cloud of dust.

As the dust cleared, everyone could see that Volcarona lay on the ground with swirled eyes.

"Volcarona is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner!"

* * *

><p>Alder now returned Volcarona to its ball and took the final Pokéball off of his necklace.<p>

"This has been a great battle, Ash!" He yelled across the field. "However, it all ends now! Bouffalant, I need your assistance!"

In a flash of blue light, a large, brown buffalo Pokémon with an afro appeared onto the field.

"Pikachu V.S. Bouffalant! Begin!"

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!" Ash commanded. Pikachu began running at Bouffalant with yellow electricity surrounding its body.

"Bouffalant, stop it using Earthquake!" Alder instructed.

Bouffalant stomped its foot into the ground, causing the ground on the field to break apart. Pikachu was stopped right in front of Bouffalant.

"Now, finish it off with Stone Edge!" Alder ordered.

Stones appeared around Bouffalant's body and began pelting down on Pikachu. Because it had been so close, Pikachu was knocked out.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! Bouffalant is the winner!"

* * *

><p>Ash ran out to Pikachu and picked him up. As he held him in his arms, Pikachu smiled at him, showing Ash that he was okay.<p>

"Thanks, buddy. Now why don't you take a nice rest?" Ash said as they walked back to their corner.

After setting Pikachu down, Ash took out his final Pokéball.

'_It's up to you._' He thought as he threw it into the air. "Emboar, I choose you!"

In a flash of light, the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon appeared onto the field. He then began to glare at Bouffalant, who just glared right back.

"Emboar V.S. Bouffalant! Final Battle Begin!"

"Emboar, use Flamethrower!" Ash commanded.

"Bouffalant, use Stone Edge!" Alder ordered.

Ash grimaced as the fire and the stones exploded in midair.

"Emboar, use Hammer Arm!"

"Bouffalant, use Megahorn!"

The two ran towards each other. Emboar hit Bouffalant with its arm, and Bouffalant hit Emboar with its horns. They both were breathing heavily.

"Let's finish this!" Both Ash and Alder yelled. "Use Flame Charge/Head Charge!"

Emboar began flying down the field surrounded by fire and Bouffalant charged towards it with a glowing red afro. Upon impact, a huge explosion occurred.

"The two attacks hit!" The announcer yelled into the microphone. "But who won?"

As the smoke cleared, Emboar and Bouffalant both stood breathing heavily. Emboar grinned at Bouffalant, who returned it with a similar grin. Then, Emboar winced and fell to the ground with swirls in its eyes.

* * *

><p>The stadium then burst into cheers as they clapped and yelled for the winner. Iris, Cilan, Meowth and Fraxure, however, looked sadly at their friend.<p>

On the field, Ash fell to his knees. He then returned Emboar to its Pokéball.

"Thanks, Emboar," He said sadly. "You did a great job."

Pikachu rushed over to comfort its trainer. Ash looked over at Pikachu and smiled.

"You're right, Pikachu," He said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I shouldn't be down about this. Thanks."

"Pika!" Pikachu smiled happily.

Alder then walked over to Ash with Bouffalant.

"Thank you, Ash," He said with a grin. "I haven't had a battle like that in a long time. It was great!"

Ash got up and shook Alder's hand.

"Thank you, Alder," Ash said gratefully. "You showed me that I still have a lot of training to do."

* * *

><p>That night, after the awards ceremony, Ash and the others went to their cabin and fell asleep. Well, at least Iris and Cilan did.<p>

Ash lay in his bed with Pikachu. He held a small object in his hand.

"When we get back, Pikachu," Ash whispered as he looked at it in the moonlight, "There's someone there that I've got to talk to."

"Pika!" Pikachu said with a yawn.

"Goodnight, buddy," Ash muttered. With that, the two fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning, the three and their Pokémon got up and left for Nuvema Town. After arriving, they first went to Professor Juniper's lab and picked up his other three Pokémon. Then, they went to the Nuvema Town Harbor and said goodbye to each other. Ash, Pikachu, and Meowth were all going together back to Kanto. Iris and Cilan were going back to Opelucid City and Striaton City, respectively. Ash and the two Pokémon then climbed aboard the plane and flew back to their home of Kanto.<p>

After a few hours, the three looked out the window of the plane and saw the Pallet Town Harbor in the distance.

'_We're almost home,_' Ash thought as the plane began its descent. '_Soon, I can finally tell you how I feel._'

* * *

><p>Next Chapter- <em><span>Chapter 2: "The Homecoming of Ash! A New Rival Appears!"<span>_- Ash, Pikachu, and Meowth are back in Kanto. After being picked up by a certain someone, they make their way back to Professor Oak's Lab. However, when old enemies attack, stronger than ever, a mysterious trainer from Ash's past appears just in time to save the day! Who is this trainer? Is he on the good side? Or is he a greater threat than the enemies of old? What is his connection with Ash? Will they defeat the evildoers? Plus, who has Ash been wanting to talk to? Find out next time in Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**Hope you liked the first chapter! New Chapter's up! Read & Review!  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**2nd Chapter, enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon!**

_Chapter 2: "The Homecoming of Ash! A New Rival Appears!"_

As the plane landed in the Pallet Town harbor, Ash, Pikachu, and Meowth trembled with excitement with the thought of returning to Pallet Town, Ash's home. Meowth, who had never had a home before, was especially excited and ready to prove to all of Ash's friends that he could do good.

After stepping off of the plane, the trio stood on the dock and looked around, waiting to see if someone was there to pick them up. After several head-turns, they saw that no one was there.

"Uh, twoip?" Meowth said with a tug on Ash's jeans. "Shouldn't there be somebodies to pick us up?"

"Pika pika pika pika!" Pikachu said with a relaxed composure.

"I am being patient, you yellow fuzzball!" Meowth yelled angrily.

While the two Pokémon began to squabble, Ash looked up into the sky with a sigh. Then, all of the sudden, he saw a glint in the distance.

"Hey, guys!" Ash said, getting the Pokémon to stop fighting immediately. "I think I see something!"

Pikachu and Meowth then squinted in the direction that Ash was looking and then they saw it, too.

As the thing in sky got closer and closer, Ash was finally able to see what it was. It was an orange, dragon-like creature with extremely sharp claws, a long neck, and two horns protruding from the back of its head. It had blue-colored wing fronts, a cream-colored belly, light blue-colored eyes, and a long tail with a flame burning at the tip.

"Charizard!" Ash exclaimed happily.

Charizard roared happily at the sight of its trainer, breathing fire onto Ash, who fell to the ground dazed and covered in ash.

After Ash got back to his feet, he saw that there was a person riding on the back of his Pokémon. It was a girl around his age with long, brown hair, dazzling blue eyes, and a wonderful smile. She wore an orange sleeveless T-shirt with a black collar folded down, black bike shorts, black socks, red and white sneakers. Around her waist, she wore a green waist pack that matched the green bandana that she wore on her head.

"May!" He said in a shocked and happy expression.

"Hey, Ash!" She waved happily. "Long time, no see!"

After Charizard landed, May jumped off of its back and ran to Ash, hugging him with joy. Soon the two began to blush, however, and they broke apart.

"May, when did you learn to ride my Charizard?" Ash asked.

"Well,…" She said, thinking back to when she first rode Ash's Fire-and-Flying Type Pokémon.

* * *

><p>(Flashback)<p>

_ Weeks before Ash's return, we find May watching the Unova League Conference with her parents, Norman and Caroline._

_ '_Wow!_' May thought as Ash defeated yet another trainer. '_Ash has gotten really good!_'_

_ The telephone then began to ring. _

_ "I'll get it!" May said, running towards the phone, her eyes still unwavering from Ash's match._

_ After answering and turning on the video screen, she heard a familiar male voice saying, "Hey May, how's it going?"_

_ "Brock!" May exclaimed with glee. "How've you been?"_

_ "Great! I've just finished my final essay for Pok__é__mon Medical School!" Brock said proudly._

_ "You're already done with medical school?" May asked in shock._

_ "Yeah, but it's still gonna be a few years until I can become a doctor, so I'm free for a few years!" Brock answered. "So, have you seen him on T.V.?"_

_ "Yeah, he's doing great!" May said happily._

_ "You know what that means, right?" Brock said knowingly. "He'll soon be home."_

_ "Oh, yeah!" May remembered. She then became excited. "You know, we should do something for when he comes home!"_

_ "Sure," Brock said in agreement. "I can contact Misty, Gary, Tracey, Professor Oak and Ash's mom, and you can get Max, Dawn, and a few of his old Pok__é__mon!"_

_ "Awesome!" May said enthusiastically._

_ "Plus, May," Brock said perceptively, "I think you and Ash need to have a talk when he gets home."_

_ May blushed. Ever since Drew had tried to ask her out in Johto and she had refused, she had been thinking about Ash nonstop. She opened her pack and took out half of a pink and white ribbon with an orange semicircle on it. _

_ "You're right, it's time," May said confidently. _

_ She then told her parents the news and got her things and Pok__é__mon together. She ran outside and was about to start running when she saw an orange dragon Pok__é__mon fly down towards her. _

_ "Charizard!" She exclaimed. She then embraced the Flame Pok__é__mon, who happily returned the hug. As they broke apart, May asked, "Did you want to help me get everything ready for Ash's return?"_

_ Charizard roared happily and nodded. It then allowed May to climb onto its back._

_ "Okay, let's go!" May ordered. The two then took off._

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>May didn't answer, so Ash just shrugged it off. May then looked down and saw Meowth. She then jumped behind Ash, scared.<p>

"Ash, isn't that Team Rocket's Meowth!" She asked, glaring at the Cat Pokémon.

"Not anymore!" Meowth said with a grin. "I'm now officially a good guy!"

May looked at Ash, who sweat dropped and rubbed the back of his head.

"You see, during my journey in Unova, Meowth got fired from Team Rocket and deserted by Jessie and James," Ash explained. "Since then, he's been traveling with us."

"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth said, putting its arm around Pikachu, who sweat dropped.

"So, shall we go back to Pallet Town?" May asked, stepping towards Charizard.

The three nodded and all climbed onto Charizard's back with May. Charizard then took off and they all began the trip back to Pallet Town.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on a cliff overlooking Pallet Town, which sat in the distance, a boy sat in a meditation pose with a small Pokémon sitting beside him in the same pose.<p>

Then, the small Pokémon's ears began wiggling and it opened its eyes. It looked in the direction where the noise came from and saw something. It then tugged on the leg of its trainer's jeans, pointing towards the thing that made the sound.

"I know, buddy," The boy said calmly. "I hear it, too."

The boy then opened his eyes and looked in the direction his Pokémon was pointing. He plainly saw an orange dragon flying towards Pallet Town. On its back were two humans and a cat and a mouse Pokémon. One of the humans was a boy and the other was a girl. The boy wore a hat, a jacket, jeans, and he had messy black hair.

"So," The boy said with a smile. "He has finally returned."

The boy then took a Pokéball from his belt and threw it into the air. A large, light green, insect-like dragon Pokémon appeared in the air. The boy caught the ball and put it back onto his belt. Then, he and the small Pokémon jumped on the back of the green dragon and flew off in the same direction as their target. They followed closely, but at a far enough distance not to be detected.

* * *

><p>Ash and May soon began to make their descent towards the laboratory and corral of famous Pokémon Professor Samuel Oak. Ash had started his journey here, Prof. Oak having given him his first Pokémon, Pikachu.<p>

Ash also left all of the Pokémon from his previous journeys here. Well, everyone except for a select few. His Charizard, for instance, had traveled with him until they had found the Charicific Valley in Johto. Ash had then decided to leave Charizard there for training to become more powerful.

Other Pokémon, such as his Squirtle, Gliscor, Primeape, and Haunter had been left with others to give them special training. Ash also had left his Pidgeot on Route 1 to protect the Pidgeotto and Pidgey there from the Spearow and their Fearow leader. He had also released his Butterfree to be with its mate, his Lapras to be with its family, and the Larvitar that he had hatched from an egg to be with its mother on Mt. Silver.

Soon, they landed on the front lawn of the laboratory. Ash literally ran up the stairs with Pikachu right behind him. Meowth and May took their time up the treacherous steps. Charizard discreetly flew to the back of the laboratory, to the Oak Corral.

Ash opened the door, and stood there, expecting to be immediately welcomed by the Professor, his mother, his friend Tracey, but no one was there. He didn't even see his lovable Muk trying to smother him with excitement.

Ash and Pikachu ran around the laboratory, looking everywhere for someone that he knew. May and Meowth stood watching him, Meowth with a confused expression like Ash and Pikachu. May had to try with all of her might to restrain a giggle. Meowth looked at her with a raised eyebrow. May pointed over at the glass door leading outside to the Oak Corral, and Meowth then smiled with understanding and winked at her.

Ash and Pikachu, after looking everywhere inside, fell to the couch in the living room, both clearly pooped. As they heavily panted from running so much, Ash saw May walk over towards the door, going through it, and gesturing for Ash to follow. Ash, Pikachu, and Meowth walked over towards the door and opened it. Soon, Ash was grinning broadly at the sight he saw.

Waiting outside were nine people that Ash knew very well. There was a girl with orange hair in a ponytail with green eyes, wearing a sleeveless yellow top with a hood, blue shorts, a small white belt with a pink buckle, and reddish-brown penny loafer shoes worn with white socks. Next to her was a tanned boy with spiky brown hair with squinty eyes, wearing an orange-and-gray vest, khaki pants, and blue-and-white sneakers. Ash knew these two as his original travel mates, Misty and Brock.

Next to Brock was a boy around Ash's age with long, spiky brown hair, wearing a black collared shirt, a blue medallion, indigo wristbands and pants, black sneakers, and a gray waist pack. This was Ash's first rival, Gary Oak.

Next to Gary was an old man with gray hair, wearing a white lab coat with a red collared shirt, a brown belt, khaki pants, and brown shoes. This was the man who had given Ash Pikachu in the first place: Professor Oak, Gary's grandfather.

Standing by the professor was none other than Delia Ketchum, Ash's mom. She had brown hair and Ash's brown eyes, and next to her was her Mr. Mime, Mimey.

Next to her were Dawn and Max. Dawn was a coordinator that Ash had traveled with in the Sinnoh Region. She had blue hair and blue eyes, wearing her golden hair clips and her white beanie with the pink Pokéball symbol on it. She wore her black, V-necked, mini dress with the white inner shirt, a short pink skirt, her magenta scarf, and her pink, knee-high boots with black socks.

Max was May's younger brother and the son of Norman, the Petalburg City Gym Leader. He wore a green T-shirt, green-and-brown sneakers, black glasses, and brown shorts.

Next to Max was a boy around Brock's height with green hair, a red headband, a green t-shirt, red shorts, and blue-and-yellow sneakers. It was Ash's friend from the Orange Islands, now Professor Oak's assistant, Tracey Sketchit.

Standing at the end of the row was May, who blushed when Ash grinned at her.

"WELCOME HOME, ASH AND PIKACHU!" They all said together.

Ash and Pikachu were all welcomed into a large embrace. Because May had told the others about Meowth before Ash had come outside, he was allowed in the hug, too.

"Thanks, guys," Ash said with a smile. "It's so great to see you all again!"

"We're not the only ones who have been waiting to see you, Ash," Tracey said with an evil grin. "Come and get him, everyone!"

Then, all of the sudden, a multitude of Pokémon were stampeding across the field towards their trainer. They were as follows: Bulbasaur, Kingler, Muk, Tauros (All 30 of them), Snorlax, Heracross, Bayleef, Quilava, Totodile, Noctowl, Donphan, Swellow, Sceptile, Corphish, Torkoal, Glalie, Staraptor, Torterra, Infernape, Buizel, and Gible.

Ash was tackled by all of his Pokémon. He laughed, saying, "It's great to see all of you!"

"Actually, Ash," Professor Oak said with a grin, "that's not _all_ of them."

"Huh?" Ash asked with a questioning look. Then, he looked over towards the lake and saw them.

There was a large, blue sea creature with four flippers, a long neck, a heavy shell on its back, and a horn protruding from its forehead swimming in the lake. Swimming beside it was a small, light blue turtle with a brown shell on its back and a squirrel-like tail. On the ground beside the lake was a furry, pig monkey with brown boxing glove-like hands and metal shackles on its arms and legs, a small dark green reptilian creature with an erect spine on the top of its head and a red chest, and a floating, purple ghost-like creature with spikes all of its body, triangular eyes and purple teeth, and a pair of disembodied hands floating in front of it. Charizard could be seen flying in the air with a large, brown bird with a red-and-yellow head crest, a purple butterfly with white wings and red eyes, wearing a yellow scarf, with a pink version of itself flying next to it, and large, bluish-purple vampire bat/scorpion-like creature.

Ash ran towards the group of Pokémon and embraced them. They were the Pokémon mentioned earlier: Lapras, Squirtle, Primeape, Larvitar, Haunter, Butterfree, and Gliscor.

Ash looked at Professor Oak and asked, "But, how did you get them here?"

"Well, if you really must know, they were all gathered by May here," Professor Oak said, gesturing towards her. Ash looked over at her with a look of gratitude, which made May turn red again.

"Well, why don't we all eat?" Mrs. Ketchum said, pointing towards the large spread of food on the table. Ash, Pikachu, and Meowth's mouths began to water.

"Hang on," Brock said, causing the three to stop drooling. "Why don't we let our Pokémon out so that they can enjoy the party?"

"Okay!" Everyone said in agreement. Misty, May, Dawn, Brock, and Tracey threw their Pokéballs into the air. Out came Azurill, Corsola, Luvdisc, Horsea, Staryu, Psyduck, Politoed, Blaziken, Glaceon, Wartortle, Venusaur, Munchlax, Skitty, Beautifly, Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Mamoswine, Quilava, Togekiss, Croagunk, Sudowoodo, Forretress, Marshtomp, Chansey, Marill, Venonat, and Scyther. There were also a few new ones that Ash didn't recognize.

"May, Dawn?" Ash said, looking at them. "Did you two catch some new Pokémon in Johto and Hoenn?"

"Yes," May said enthusiastically. "Meet Ampharos, Ledian, Miltank, and Altaria!"

The Light Pokémon, the Five Star Pokémon, the Milk Cow Pokémon, and the Humming Pokémon all nodded respectively.

"Is that Altaria the Swablu you took care of in Hoenn?" Ash asked.

"Yup," May said with a smile as Altaria flew to her arm. "I met up with Altaria when I went home to Hoenn!"

"And Ash," Dawn said as Ash and May looked to her, "I'd like to introduce you to Illumise, Gardevoir, Mawile, and Breloom!" All of Dawn's new Pokémon waved.

Ash then looked at Max. He then said, "So, Max. Didn't you start your journey not too long ago?"

Max nodded and said, "Yup, and here they are!"

Max threw some Pokéballs into the air and out popped nine Pokémon.

"Meet Grovyle, Camerupt, Kirlia, Masquerain, Vigoroth, Mightyena, Shuppet, Glalie, and Manectric!" He said proudly.

Ash then saw Max's starter, Grovyle, a Vigoroth that he probably got as a Slakoth from his dad, the Kirlia that they had met in Hoenn as a Ralts, the Shuppet from the haunted house, the Mightyena that Max had helped to evolve and four Pokémon that Max had caught himself.

"Great team, Max!" Ash said, impressed by his Pokémon. "We're might just have to battle soon!"

"Yeah, but not yet," Max said with a grin. "I want to make sure that they're ready to beat you and your Pokémon!"

"By the way, Ash," Professor Oak said, turning the attention to himself. "What sorts of Pokémon did you catch in the Unova Region?"

Everyone looked at Ash who smiled.

"Well, besides Pikachu and Meowth," Ash said, bringing out his Pokéballs. "These were the Pokémon that I traveled with!"

He then threw the balls into the air, and in a flash of light, eight Pokémon appeared onto the grass: the Regal Grass Snake Pokémon, Serperior; the Hoodlum Pokémon, Scrafty; the Formidable Sea Lion Pokémon, Samurott; the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon Emboar; the Proud Bird Pokémon Unfezant; the Compressed Pokémon Gigalith; the Nurturing Mantis Pokémon Leavanny; and the Vibration Pokémon Seismitoad.

Everyone looked in awe at Ash's new Unova Pokémon. Sceptile, Bayleef, Bulbasaur, Torterra, Heracross, Beautifly, Breloom, Grovyle, Venusaur, Illumise, Masquerain, Forretress, Venonat, Scyther, and Butterfree all went to greet Serperior and Leavanny. Charizard, Infernape, Blaziken, both of Ash and Dawn's Quilava, Torkoal, Camerupt, Croagunk, and Primeape immediately took a liking to Emboar and Scrafty. All of the Water-and-Ground-type Pokémon said hello to Samurott and Seismitoad. The Flying Pokémon welcomed Unfezant. Gigalith was seen talking to Sudowoodo and a few Steel-type Pokémon.

"Okay!" Ash said excitedly. "Now that everyone's well acquainted, let's eat!"

"Same old Ash," May said, soon following him to the table.

* * *

><p>Later, after everyone ate lunch, they all sat around awhile, enjoying each other's company and telling tales about their adventures. Even the Pokémon were relaxing.<p>

Suddenly, however, a large net covered all of the Pokémon and began pulling them into the air.

"What?" Ash said as he jumped from his seat at the table.

In the sky, there was a large, black balloon with a red letter "R" on it. In the basket were a man with blue hair and a woman with red hair, both wearing white uniforms with red letter "R's" on the front of them.

"Team Rocket!" Misty yelled angrily.

"Did someone call our name?" The woman asked in a start of a new motto.

"Surely we're not to blame!" The man said with a smirk.

"Putting the world in devastation!"

"Uniting all within the new sensation!"

"Thrusting the black dust of shadows throughout the age!"

"Blinding all with the fire of our rage!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Causing evil and chaos wherever we show!"

"Stealing Pokémon is the way we go!"

"Now, say goodbye for our rhyme is done!" The two said in unison.

"Jessie! James! How could you!" Meowth said in obvious disgust for what his former teammates had become.

"Don't you know that being evil is what we do?" Jessie answered with a sneer.

"Although I guess he wouldn't know anymore after joining the twerps!" James said with a chuckle.

Meowth growled. He didn't know that his old friends could go this low.

"Now, we're off to the boss's with all of his brand new Pokémon!" Jessie said with glee.

"And this time, we win!" James said happily.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu yelled from the net filled with Pokémon.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled in protest.

Piplup, Croagunk, Azurill, and all of the other Pokémon yelled for their trainers.

Ash and the others growled. They couldn't believe that Team Rocket was going to get away this time.

"I can't believe it!" Jessie said in disbelief.

"For the first time, we actually stole Pikachu and all of the twerps' Pokémon!" James said, thrusting a fist into the air.

"Nothing can stop us now!" The duo yelled in harmony.

"Flygon use DragonBreath!" A voice yelled from the distance.

"Huh?" Everyone said, including Team Rocket.

Soon, everyone saw a large, light green, insect-like dragon Pokémon appear in the sky and shoot a light blue beam of air at Team Rocket's balloon, tearing it, and causing them and all of the Pokémon to fall, the Pokémon still in the net.

"The Pokémon!" Dawn shouted in fear and worry.

"Crobat, Weavile, come on out and use Steel Wing and Metal Claw!" The voice said from atop of the Flygon.

In a flash of blue light, a purple, four-winged bat and a bluish-black bipedal feline appeared in the sky. They then slashed at the net with wings and claws, respectively, causing the net to fall apart and free the Pokémon, who all landed safely and unharmed.

Team Rocket and their balloon, on the other hand, crashed into the ground. Everyone could see them covered in rubble.

Ash and the others then looked up and saw the Flygon land beside Weavile and Crobat. The Flygon's rider jumped off of it. It was a boy with short but messy brown hair, wearing a white jacket, a black shirt, brown pants, black-and-red sneakers, a dark green waist pack similar to Gary's, red, fingerless gloves, and black, tinted goggles that covered his eyes. On his shoulder was a small, pale yellow mouse Pokémon with black-tipped ears, black markings on its neck, pink cheeks, a small nose, and a black tail similar to its evolved form.

"Hey, it's a Pichu!" Meowth exclaimed as the Pichu jumped to the ground from its trainer's shoulder.

Ash, May, Dawn, and Max took out their Pokédexes and scanned these four Pokémon.

_ 'Pichu, the Tiny Mouse Pok__é__mon. The pre-evolved form of Pikachu. It is not yet skilled at storing electricity, so it sometimes shocks itself.'_

_ 'Crobat, the evolved form of Golbat. With its two additional wings, Crobat is able to fly much faster than Golbat.'_

_ 'Weavile, the Sharp Claw Pokémon. It signals its companions by using its claws to leave mysterious markings on the surfaces of trees and ice.'_

_ 'Flygon, the Mystic Pokémon. Flygon is the evolved form of Vibrava. It's known as the desert spirit because of the song-like voice that eminates from the sandstorms it kicks up.'_

Ash looked at these Pokémon and could tell that all of four of the trainer's Pokémon were extremely well-trained, especially the Pichu. It looked way more powerful than other Pichu.

Team Rocket slowly climbed out of the rubble, angrier than ever.

"How dare you!" Jessie said, angry about her damaged hair.

"How dare you?" The trainer repeated. "How dare you steal other's Pokémon that they have worked hard to raise?"

"I think it's time for you to pay for your insolence!" James said, he and Jessie then throwing Pokéballs into the air.

In a large flash of blue light, six Pokémon appeared in the grass. There was a furry, blue bat, a magenta centipede-like creature, a slender, primarily purple-colored feline, a blue and yellow sarcophagus with four ebony hands coming out of it, a cactus-like creature, and a red, squat ape-like creature.

"Swoobat, use Steel Wing! Scolipede, use Toxic! Liepard, use Slash!" Jessie ordered.

"Cofagrigus, use Psychic! Maractus, use Solarbeam! Darmanitan, use Hammer Arm!" James yelled.

The Pokémon all launched their attacks at the trainer. Gary tried to send out a Pokémon, but Professor Oak stopped him.

"Let's see how this trainer battles," Prof. Oak said as he watched the battle with interest.

"Shedinja, come on out!" The trainer said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

Soon, a brown, insect exoskeleton-like Pokémon with a halo over its head appeared in the air. The attacks came, but just bounced off of an invisible shield.

"How come the attacks didn't do anything?" Dawn asked.

"That's Shedinja's ability, Wonder Guard," Gary explained. "It makes it so that only super-effective hits can hurt it."

"Now it's my turn!" The trainer said, throwing six Pokéballs into the air.

In a flash of light, six Pokémon appeared onto the field. There was a fiery, mythical salamander-duck creature, a light-gray elephant-like creature, a large pink blob with a long tongue, a white gladiator-like warrior, a large penguin-like creature, and a large golem made of rocks.

"Magmar, use Flamethrower! Donphan, use Earthquake! Lickilicky, use Power Whip! Gallade, use Psycho Cut! Empoleon, use Flash Cannon! Regirock, use Stone Edge!" The trainer commanded.

The six Pokémon then launched their attacks on Team Rocket's Pokémon, knocking them all out.

"Now, Pichu, use Thundershock!" The trainer yelled.

"Hahaha!" Jessie laughed.

"Do you really expect to beat us with that pathetic little mouse?" James asked with a sneer.

Piiiiiiiiiiichhhuuuuuuuu!" Pichu yelled as it sent a large amount of yellow lightning at Team Rocket, sending them flying.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" They yelled, disappearing into the horizon.

The trainer then recalled all of his Pokémon. Pichu jumped back onto its trainer's shoulder, and then they turned towards Ash and the others. Ash felt like he had seen this trainer before. Then, he realized who it was.

"Gavin, is that you?" He asked.

"Gavin?" The others said, all confused.

The trainer looked directly at Ash and then moved his goggles to the top of his head. Everyone could plainly see the intense brown eyes that they had seen on their friend for all of these years.

"That's right," He said coolly.

Then, Mrs. Ketchum broke his cool by embracing him in a tight hug.

"It's so good to see you!" She said as she squeezed him and Pichu.

"It's good to see you, too," Gavin said in a muffled sounding voice. "But you're crushing me, Aunt Delia!"

"Aunt Delia!" Everyone exclaimed.

"That's right," Ash said, walking over to his relative. "Gavin here is my cousin."

"COUSIN!"

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 3: "Family Matters! Ash V.S. Gavin!"<span>_- Everyone has just found out that the mysterious trainer Gavin is Ash's cousin. Now, Gavin has decided to challenge Ash to a one-on-one battle. Also, we learn more about the love interests of the group. Plus, news about a new region are revealed! Who will win! Why is Gavin here? What is the new region? Tune in to Pokémon: League of Ultimates to find out!

**Wow, pretty intense! Read and Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3, Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon!**

_Chapter 3: "Family Matters! Ash V.S. Gavin!"_

"Wait, hold on a second," Brock said, breaking the awkward silence that had occurred when they heard this new information. "Ash, do you mean to tell me that this trainer is your cousin?"

"That's right," Ash said calmly, wondering what all of the fuss was about. "Gavin and his family used to live in Pallet Town when we were younger. Then, his dad got a new job in Johto before either of us started our journeys. We haven't really seen each other since then."

Everyone looked at Gavin. It was kind of hard to tell that he was related to Ash in any way. They were the same height and build, yes, but they looked completely different, except for their eyes. They both had the same intense brown eyes, filled with passion.

At first, even after Ash's explanation, it was still really awkward. Gavin began to feel uncomfortable. Then, out of the blue, they heard a large growling sound. Gavin's cheeks turned red and he began to rub the back of his head.

"Sorry," Gavin said sheepishly. "We haven't really had anything to eat in a while." Then, everyone began to laugh.

"He's Ash's cousin alright," Misty said with a chuckle.

"Why don't you all get to know each other and I'll get some dinner ready," Mrs. Ketchum said as she went inside with Mimey in tow.

"Gavin, do you happen to have a Pokédex?" Prof. Oak asked oddly.

"Yeah, it's right here," Gavin said as he took out a red device.

"May I borrow it?" Prof. Oak requested.

"Sure," Gavin said, confused.

Prof. Oak then asked Ash, May, Dawn, and Max for their Pokédexes as well. Holding in his arms a Pokédex from each region, he walked into the lab without telling them the reason.

"So, Gavin, what brings you to Pallet Town?" Ash asked his cousin.

"Well, I saw you on T.V., battling in the Unova League Conference," Gavin answered, "so I thought that I'd come and visit you. Plus, there's something I've wanted to do ever since I started on my journey."

Gavin took out a Pokéball, looked at Ash and said, "Ash Ketchum, I challenge you to Pokémon battle!"

Everyone was surprised. Gavin hadn't been there for ten minutes, and he had already challenged Ash to a battle. However, Ash was still smiling.

"Sure, I accept your challenge," Ash said calmly. "How about a 3-on-3 battle to really see how we both battle?"

"That sounds awesome!" Gavin said enthusiastically. "Let's do it!"

* * *

><p>Ash and Gavin stood across from each other on a field designated as the spot for their battle. All of the Pokémon had gathered around to watch the battle.<p>

Brock volunteered to be the judge of the battle. Tracey quickly took out a sketchpad to draw scenes from the battle on, while Max was ready to take notes.

"This will be a 3-on-3 battle, no time limit!" Brock said to the opponents and the audience. "There will be no substitutions! When a Pokémon is taken down, both it and the winning Pokémon are to be returned! Whoever wins the most battles is the winner! Begin!"

Ash looked at all of the Pokémon gathered around him. Then, a certain Pokémon caught his eye.

"Larvitar, do you want to battle?" Ash asked, holding out an empty Pokéball since he had never actually caught Larvitar.

Larvitar nodded and went into the Pokéball. After shaking a few times, Larvitar was caught.

"Alright," Ash said, throwing the ball into the air, "Larvitar, I choose you!"

Larvitar appeared onto the field. However, as soon as it had, its body became engulfed in a glowing, white light.

"Larvitar?" Ash said as he watched his newly caught Larvitar change its shape.

Soon, after the glowing stopped, Ash saw a large, gray shell similar to his old Metapod, but instead, this Pokémon had several spikes all over its body, holes that showed its eyes, and holes that looked like eyebrows. It looked very strong.

"Pupitar!" It said in a deep voice.

"Wow! Larvitar evolved into Pupitar!" Max exclaimed, causing Tracey to begin sketching it frantically.

"A Pupitar, eh?" Gavin said with a smile, holding a Pokéball. "Let's see if you can handle this Pokémon! Donphan, come on out!"

In a flash of blue light, the armored elephant Pokémon that they had seen before appeared.

"Pupitar V.S. Donphan! Begin!"

"Pupitar, use Rock Slide!" Ash commanded.

Pupitar's body took on a glowing blue outline. Then, rocks broke out of the ground and were thrown at Donphan.

"Donphan, Defense Curl, and then use Rollout!" Gavin ordered.

Donphan curled itself into ball and then began rolling at high speed, shattering the rocks as they hit it. It then began to roll towards Pupitar.

"Pupitar, dodge it!" Ash yelled. "Then, use Thrash!"

Pupitar vented gas to push itself out of the way. Then, it launched itself towards Donphan and began tackling it repeatedly.

"Donphan, use Fire Fang to throw it!" Gavin instructed.

Donphan's tusks lit up on fire and it knocked Pupitar away.

"Now, finish it off with Earthquake!" Gavin shouted.

Donphan got up on its hind legs and then brought its front legs down hard. This caused the whole field to shake and Pupitar to be knocked into the air. Once it landed, everyone could see that it had swirly eyes.

"Pupitar is unable to battle! Donphan is the winner of the first battle!" Brock announced.

* * *

><p>Ash walked over to Pupitar, who looked sad that it had lost its first battle as Ash's Pokémon. Ash patted it and said, "Don't worry about it, Pupitar. You did great. We'll win next time."<p>

Pupitar looked happier and then hopped right over to the others. May smiled.

'_He's always so good to his Pok__é__mon_,' She thought as Ash stood back up and face Gavin, who had returned his Donphan to its Pokéball. '_In fact, he's nice to anyone, unless they've given him reason not to._ _I wonder…_'

Soon, her gaze was redirected towards the battle as they prepared for the second round.

"Ash, since you showed your Pokémon first last time, I'll show mine first this time," Gavin said, taking out a Pokéball. "Eevee, come on out!"

In a flash of light, a small, brown fox-like Pokémon with a bushy tail with a cream-colored tip and a furry collar, also cream-colored, appeared onto the field.

"Vee!" It said cutely, causing the girls to squeal at its cuteness. Eevee then saw its trainer and ran towards him. When it reached him, Eevee began to rub up against his legs, causing everyone to laugh. Gavin began to turn red.

"Awww, that is _so _cute!" Dawn squealed.

"Yeah, Eevee's a new Pokémon on my team," Gavin explained as the Evolution Pokémon continued to rub its trainer affectionately. Gavin then squatted next to Eevee. "Eevee, I need you to battle. Could you help me, please?"

"Vee!" It nodded and then ran back onto the field, now looking ready to battle.

"Alright then, I'll choose Bulbasaur!" Ash said confidently. Bulbasaur ran onto the field.

Ash bent down and whispered to Bulbasaur, "Be careful not to hurt Eevee too badly. It looks like it's just a baby, so we need to go easy on it." Bulbasaur nodded in agreement.

"Bulbasaur V.S. Eevee! Begin!" Brock yelled.

"Eevee, use Quick Attack!" Gavin commanded.

Eevee began running towards Bulbasaur with a white streak trailing behind it.

"Bulbasaur, dodge it and use Vine Whip!" Ash ordered.

Bulbasaur jumped out of the way of the speeding Eevee and then grabbed it using its vines. It lifted it into the air and held it tightly as it struggled to get free.

"Eevee, get out of there using Bite!" Gavin yelled.

Eevee then opened its mouth wide and bit down on Bulbasaur's vine, causing it to wince in pain and drop Eevee.

"Now, use Dig before it can react!" Gavin instructed.

Eevee then dug underground with its front paws. Bulbasaur began looking around for where it was going to come out.

"Bulbasaur, follow it underground!" Ash directed.

Bulbasaur jumped down the hole that Eevee had dug. Soon, Eevee came out of the ground with Bulbasaur right behind it.

"Eevee, use Shadow Ball!" Gavin commanded.

Eevee opened its mouth and created a black and purple ball in front of it. It then fired it at Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, use Solarbeam!" Ash yelled.

Bulbasaur quickly gathered light in its bulb and then fired a beam of light at the Shadow Ball. The two attacks collided in mid-air and caused an explosion of black smoke.

"Eevee, finish it with Last Resort!" Gavin shouted.

Eevee's body was surrounded by a white outline. It then began running at Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur!" Ash yelled as Eevee got closer and closer.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur yelled. In its mind, it knew that the time was right. Its body began glowing in a bright, white light. Its bulb opened, revealing a pink bulb. It grew small fangs and had become darker blue in color. It also was a bit bigger than it used to be. Everyone was surprised.

"Bulbasaur evolved into Ivysaur!" May yelled in shock.

"Ivysaur!" It yelled as it opened its mouth and shot a bunch of glowing white orbs at Eevee, causing its attack to falter and it to fall to the ground.

"And it learned Seed Bomb!" Gary said, impressed.

Eevee was soon seen to have been knocked out with swirly eyes.

"Eevee is unable to battle! Ivysaur wins the second round!" Brock announced.

* * *

><p>Gavin walked over to Eevee, picked it up and said, "Great job, Eevee! You did really well!" Eevee smiled at its trainer and licked him on the cheek.<p>

Ivysaur walked over to Ash, who said, "Thanks, Ivysaur! That was an awesome battle! It was really cool how you learned Seed Bomb!"

"Ivy!" It said in a deeper voice than that of its previous form. It then walked over to the other Pokémon, who were admiring it and Pupitar for having evolved.

After Gavin put Eevee down next to him, he looked at Pichu, who nodded and then ran onto the battlefield.

"For this final round, I choose Pichu," Gavin said confidently.

"Then I choose Pikachu," Ash said just as confident as his cousin.

"The final battle will be between Pikachu and Pichu!" Brock yelled to the audience. "The winner of this battle breaks the tie and is the victor! Begin!"

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu released yellow electricity from its red cheeks and fired it at Pichu.

"Pichu, use Thundershock!" Gavin ordered.

Pichu also released yellow electricity from its pink cheeks and fired it at Pikachu. The two electrical attacks both collided in mid-air, creating a cloud of black smog. Once it cleared, the battle resumed.

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Ash yelled.

Pikachu jumped into the air with a yellow orb of electricity forming at its tail. It then launched the orb at Pichu.

"Pichu, use Light Screen," Gavin instructed.

Pichu held its hands out in front of its body and created a golden cube of light energy around its body. The orb hit the cube, but it only made Pichu slide back a little bit.

"Now, use Reversal!" Gavin commanded.

Three small, blue orbs of energy appeared around Pichu's left hand and began circling its body until they reached its right hand. They then went inside of Pichu's right hand, causing the hand to glow bright blue in color. Pichu then ran swiftly towards Pikachu, who tried to dodge, but was struck in the chest. It was knocked back a few feet, but it remained standing.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash ordered.

"Pichu, the same!" Gavin yelled.

The two Electric Mouse Pokémon ran at each other, both of their tails glowing in a metallic shine, and struck each other's tails in the air, causing sparks to fly from the tails. Eventually, there was an explosion, and the two were knocked back to their trainers.

Ash and Gavin could see that their Pokémon were breathing heavily, both evenly matched. The battle would be over in one more attack.

"Use Volt Tackle!" They both yelled.

Both Pikachu and Pichu began running at each other at an unbelievable speed, their bodies surrounded by yellow lightning. Finally, the two collided in the middle of the field, and upon impact, a large explosion of black smog occurred.

When the smoke cleared, everyone could see that both Pikachu and Pichu had both been knocked out in the explosion.

"Neither Pokémon is able to battle! Since both trainers each have a win, I pronounce this match a tie!" Brock concluded.

* * *

><p>Everyone cheered. It had been a great battle, and Ash and Gavin went to their partners, picked them up, and then shook hands with each other.<p>

"Great battle, cos," Ash said to the brown-haired boy he shook hands with.

"Thanks," Gavin said with a smile. "You did awesome, too."

"Dinner Time!" Mrs. Ketchum yelled out the door of the laboratory.

* * *

><p>After a great meal, Ash and the others sat outside and watched the Pokémon play. Ash then looked around and noticed that someone was missing: May.<p>

He got up and started looking around for her. He finally found her sitting alone next to the lake. He quietly got up right behind her and said, "Watcha doing May?"

In surprise, she screamed, grabbed him by his shirt and threw him into the lake. When she finally realized who it was, she jumped in after him and pulled him out.

"I am so sorry!" She kept saying as she got him and her towels and they both wrapped up in them.

"It's not your fault," Ash said, soaking wet. "I shouldn't have surprised you like that."

The two stared off into the lake, seeing all of the water Pokémon swimming around and having fun. Ash looked over at May. On her wrist, she wore a new bracelet that he hadn't noticed before: it was a white band with a half of a pink-and-white ribbon with a gold semi-circle on it.

"I see that you still have your half of the ribbon," He said remarking on the new bracelet.

She looked down at bracelet, turned red and said, "Uh, yeah. It helped me so much when I was on my own in Johto, so I turned it into something that I could look at every day."

Now it was Ash's turn to blush. He didn't know that she thought about him that much.

"Uh, I saw you in the Grand Festival on T.V.," He said, changing the subject. "You did very well."

"Yeah, but I still came in second," May said sadly, "to Drew. Out of all of the people that I could lose to, I lost to him."

Ash could see that something was bothering her. He needed to do something in order to bring back that wonderful smile of hers.

"What happened in Johto?" He asked.

She sniffed, looked at him and said, "Drew happened. He tried to ask me out in Olivine City, right before the Grand Festival, but I refused. He then got really mad at me and yelled about how he was the 'best coordinator ever,' and how he 'didn't need me anyways.' It's not that I didn't like him, as a friend, but there's someone else that I have my eye on."

Ash's heart leaped. Could it really be true? She didn't like Drew? Then, did she like…?

"Uh, so who is this lucky guy?" He asked nonchalantly.

She blushed and said, "Oh, you know him. He's a really great trainer who I've looked up to for a long time. He's almost won a few leagues in a couple of regions."

Ash made a false look of confusion and said, "Doesn't sound like anyone I know."

May looked at him and smiled. She knew that he was faking it. Now, she just needed to know if he liked her back.

"Hey, May?" He asked slowly.

"Yeah, Ash?" She said with her heart beating rapidly.

"You know, there's something that I've been meaning to tell you," He said with a tinge of red in his cheeks.

"When I was in Hoenn, traveling with you, it was the best time of my life. And then, when you agreed to go to Kanto with me, I couldn't have been anymore happier. But when you left for Johto, like Drew, I thought that maybe you liked him better or something. Then, when you visited me in Sinnoh, I thought that I had a chance. Every day after you left Sinnoh and went back to Johto, I've been thinking about you. Now, that I'm back from Unova, I want to tell you that…I…love you."

May smiled and her eyes sparkled after he said that.

"Oh, Ash!" She said happily. She then quickly leaned into him and pressed her lips against his. At first, Ash tensed up, but he soon relaxed. It was like there were fireworks going off in his head. May felt like she could stay like this forever.

After what seemed like hours, the two finally broke apart. They looked at each other, both faces as red as they could possibly be, and smiled.

* * *

><p>Later, they both went back to the group, neither giving any indication of what had occurred just now. Then, Prof. Oak came out of his lab, holding a strange-looking box.<p>

"Ash, May, Dawn, Max, and Gavin," He said excitedly. "I'd like to give you each something: your brand new Pokédexes."

He then handed each of the five a sort of small, device that could flip open. Each had two screens (one for viewing, one a touchscreen), a circular analog pad, two cameras (one on the outside, one on the inside), a D-pad, four push buttons, and each came with a stylus. Ash's was red, May's was yellow, Dawn's was pink, Max's was blue, and Gavin's was bright green.

"These are the new Pokédexes. They have all of the data for every single Pokémon seen so far, and they can do everything the older models could and more." He explained.

"Thanks, Professor!" The five said in unison.

"And they should help you in that new region that Gavin was telling me about," He said with a grin.

"NEW REGION!" Everyone but the Professor and Gavin yelled. They all turned towards Gavin.

"Yeah, it's a new region that I've been hearing about that's supposed to have the best in battles, contests, and more," Gavin said as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "It's called the Amaro Region."

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 4: "News of a New Region! Starting a Trek to Vermilion City!"<span>_- Ash and friends have just learned from their newest member, Gavin, that there is a new region in existence! This means new battles, new friends and foes, new contests, and a whole new adventure! Now, preparations must be made for the journey! Find out what happens next time on Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**A new region and a new relationship? What'll happen next? Read & Review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4, man, this is fun! Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon!**

_Chapter 4: "News of a New Region! Starting a Trek to Vermilion City!"_

As the sun rose and shined on the small town of Pallet, most of its inhabitants still sound asleep, including the Pokémon, one young trainer sat outside, completely awake.

Unlike his cousin Ash, Gavin was a very light sleeper. He had never been able to stay asleep for very long. In his heart, there was a burning passion to do all that he could and use his time wisely. That also was a part of his views of sleeping.

The only other creature that was currently awake was his small, Electric Mouse Pokémon partner, Pichu. Throughout the few years that they had been traveling together, Pichu had become used to his master's sleeping patterns and had decided a while ago to partake in the early morning meditation that Gavin did every morning. It gave them both a sense of calmness and synchronization that allowed them to battle together so well.

It is true that Pichu evolve in Pikachu when they are happiest and have a very close friendship with their trainers. However, Pichu had reached that point long ago, but was still a Pichu.

Pichu, not unlike Ash's Pikachu, had always wanted to prove that he didn't have to evolve in order to become powerful. Pichu believed that he would only evolve if he ever reached a point where it was in the direst need for him to evolve in order to save the ones he loved. This was a belief that the two of them shared.

As Gavin and Pichu sat outside in deep meditation, two others awoke from their slumber.

Dawn and Piplup had been trying to sleep as long as they could, but something was making it to where they couldn't sleep. So, Dawn got up and out of bed, got dressed, and along with Piplup, went outside.

Dawn breathed in the fresh morning air. There was something in the air that made her want to practice her appeal for the first Contest in the Amaro Region.

After Gavin had told them about the Amaro Region last night, they had learned that they held both gym battles and contests in Amaro. They also learned that the contests were different than those before, in the way of how coordinators competed together in teams of two. So, the nine of them had decided to go to the region together. Tracey, Brock, Misty, and Gary had all gotten some time off from their current activities of being Professor Oak's assistant, a Pokémon doctor, Cerulean City Gym Leader, and Pokémon researcher-in-training. Ash wanted to compete in more gyms; Max wanted to train on a journey so that he may one day be a better gym leader; May and Dawn were going to compete in more contests together; Gavin, for reasons unknown.

Many of them were at first unsure of Gavin's character and his intentions for appearing in Pallet Town. Misty thought that he seemed like a very powerful trainer, but didn't like his mysterious ways. May thought that he was okay since Ash had said that Gavin was his cousin. Brock, Max, Gary, and Tracey all seemed to accept him after Ash's battle with him. Dawn didn't know what to think.

Gavin was different from most trainers that she had met on her journeys through Sinnoh and Hoenn. In way, he was a lot like Ash, but he seemed to be calmer and wiser in his thinking. He wasn't mean like Paul. He was actually very nice, and he shared the same kind love and compassion he had for his Pokémon with his cousin.

As Dawn walked out into an open field, she decided that this would be a perfect training area for today.

"Piplup," She said to her Pokémon, "Are you ready to practice some contest moves?"

"Pi-plup!" Piplup nodded. He ran to the center of the field and then turned back around to his trainer, awaiting her command.

"Alright, Piplup. Now, all you need is a partner," Dawn said, pondering a moment. She then snapped her fingers and said, "I've got it!"

She took a Pokéball from her bag, threw it into the air, and said, "Togekiss, spotlight!"

In a flash of blue light, the Jubilee Pokémon appeared in the sky. She then gracefully flew down and landed next to Piplup.

"Toge-kiss!" She said as she happily raised her wing in greeting.

"Okay! Let's get started!" Dawn said, raising a fist into the air. "Piplup, use Whirlpool!"

Piplup's body began to glow a bluish-white color. He raised his arms and beak into the air. A whirlpool formed from his beak above his body and then, Piplup threw it into the air.

"Now, Togekiss, use Aura Sphere!" Dawn yelled.

Togekiss put her wings together and created a light blue ball of energy. She then launched several Aura Spheres into the air, surrounding the whirlpool.

"Piplup, use Hydro Pump on the Whirlpool!" Dawn continued.

Piplup opened his beak and a small ball of water appeared in front of it. Then, a large blast of water came out of it. The blast went through the whirlpool, causing it to spin around and create a spiral of water that shot several blasts of water through the Aura Spheres, causing a fireworks display and sparkles to fly down from the sky.

Dawn smiled at the beautiful appeal that she had just done. Then, she heard a voice behind her say, "Impressive."

She turned around and saw Gavin with Pichu on his shoulder.

"Gavin!" She said in surprise. "Wh-what are you doing up so early?"

"Actually, I was up before you," Gavin said calmly. "I've never been much of a sleeper, so I usually wake up early and do a morning meditation session."

"Wow," Dawn said, her eyes widening. "I never realized that you and Ash were that much different."

"Well, believe it or not, we are cousins," Gavin said, rubbing his head. "However, people have always said that we are more alike than we think."

* * *

><p>Ash lay sprawled all over his bed as he continued to snore the whole morning away. Even though Pikachu had gotten used to his trainer's sleeping style throughout the years, he still had to give Ash a morning wake-up call every once in a while.<p>

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Ash shouted in pain as Pikachu shocked him awake with his electricity. "Okay! I'm up, I'm up! Quit it, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu smirked as his ceased his electrical attack.

Ash grumbled as he got out of bed and got dressed, his partner laughing at him.

Eventually, Ash and Pikachu headed downstairs to find Misty, May, Dawn, Gavin, Brock, Piplup, Pichu, Meowth, and Mrs. Ketchum preparing for breakfast.

"Morning, Ash!" May said with a smile.

Ash stood there and smiled at her, dazed, until he felt an elbow nudge him. He turned and saw that it was his cousin who had nudged him.

"Wake up, lover boy," He whispered into his ear. "You're staring, and if you don't stop, you'll embarrass yourself."

Ash nodded in thanks, and then sat down at the table with everyone. As soon as breakfast was set down onto the table, everybody dug in. Meowth was enjoying the food, especially.

"Mmmmmmm!" He said, holding his belly in happiness. "This is the best meal I've ever had!"

"Why, thank you very much, Meowth," Mrs. Ketchum said, smiling at the compliment.

* * *

><p>After everyone had finished eating, they all headed over to the Professor's laboratory in order to prepare for their journey.<p>

"So, Ash," May said as they all stood in the Oak Corral together, "who are you going to bring with you to the Amaro Region?"

"Well, I want to eventually use a lot of them," Ash said considerably, "but, for now, I want to bring Pikachu, Charizard, Pidgeot, Primeape, Haunter, and Pupitar."

All six of the Pokémon nodded in agreement. Last night, after dinner, Ash had put Haunter into a Pokéball as it wanted to go with him. Meowth was also going, just to follow Ash and help if Team Rocket attacked again.

May studied her Pokémon for a second and then said, "I'm going to bring Blaziken, Glaceon, Ampharos, Venusaur, Beautifly, and Miltank!"

"And I'm going to bring Piplup, Pachirisu, Mamoswine, Quilava, and Togekiss!" Dawn decided.

"That's only five, Dawn," May noticed.

"I know," Dawn said with a grin. "I'm picking up my sixth one in Vermilion City."

Everyone nodded and then continued to choose their Pokémon. Gavin decided to bring Pichu, Magmar, Donphan, Crobat, Weavile, and Eevee. Brock's team was comprised of Sudowoodo, Croagunk, Chansey, Marshtomp, and Forretress. For now, Misty was going to bring all of hers, but maybe leave a couple when they reached the Cerulean City Gym. Tracey, of course, was bringing Marill, Venonat, Scyther, and a fourth Pokémon.

"I'm going to see what this guy can do," He explained to the others.

Max was bringing Grovyle, Camerupt, Kirlia, Vigoroth, Masquerain, and Shuppet. Finally, Gary decided on Umbreon, Electivire, Blastoise, Arcanine, Nidoking, and Skarmory.

* * *

><p>At last, they were ready to go. Except for one thing, however.<p>

"Alright, everyone!" May and Dawn said excitedly. "Time to go clothes shopping!"

Everyone groaned, even Misty. If there's one thing they couldn't stand, it was shopping.

"Come on, Ash!" May said as she grabbed his arm and dragged him and Pikachu towards the shopping center.

"Ahhhhhhh, May!" Ash yelled as he was dragged away.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried for help from Ash's arms.

Everyone laughed at the misfortune of their friend.

'_I believe my cousin has discovered the dark side of love_,' Gavin thought, chuckling to himself.

"Gavin, come on!" Dawn said as she grabbed him by the arm and began dragging him after May and Ash.

"Wait, what? No, Dawn!" Gavin shouted as he was dragged in the same direction as his cousin. However, before being completely dragged away, Gavin managed to grab Pichu, who grabbed Piplup, who grabbed Meowth, all three of whom had been trying to escape.

"If I have to go, so do you!" Gavin said as the three Pokémon crossed their arms and pouted.

Laughing now more than ever, the rest of the group followed after the two girls and the boys and Pokémon that they dragged with them.

After reaching the mall, the group began picking out new clothes for the new journey.

Ash, Gavin, and the other guys all reluctantly went into the changing stalls and changed clothes.

When Ash came out, he had on a hat similar to the ones he had worn throughout Hoenn and Sinnoh, but this time, the hat had a white half-Pokéball symbol on it. He now wore a navy jacket that he wore open, a black T-shirt, gray pants, and black-and-white sneakers. His new backpack was a dark, crimson color.

Gavin's new clothes were similar to what he wore when they met him, but now, he wore a newer and more stylish white jacket that was open with a red T-shirt, black pants, red-and-black sneakers, and new, black sunglasses at the top of his head. Plus, he now wore a forest-green backpack.

Brock wore a long-sleeved, orange shirt with a black inner shirt, dark green pants, a black belt, and brown shoes with black soles. He carried a gray backpack.

Gary now wore a black, pilot's jacket, with a black belt, a white T-shirt, brown cargo pants, and black sneakers. He still had on his silver waist pack.

Max had on a green jacket that he wore open, an orange T-shirt, brown pants, green-and-black tennis shoes, and a newer yellow backpack.

Tracey sported a green headband with a red shirt, black shorts, and green sneakers. He carried a brown backpack.

Later, after waiting on the girls in the ladies department, the boys' mouths dropped when they saw the girls.

May wore a darker red bandana, with a sleeveless, dark red shirt that cut off at her bellybutton, a white inner shirt, a dark red skirt with a darker green waist pack, longer, black biker shorts, dark green gloves, and dark red-and-white sneakers.

Dawn still had on her gold hair clips, but now she wore her hair in a ponytail that they had seen in her contests, a white cap with a pink lid and a pink Pokéball symbol on the front, a sleeveless black vest with a sleeveless white shirt, light blue shorts, and black-and-pink hi-tops. She now had a small, pink bag.

Misty now wore a short-sleeved, turquoise jacket with a yellow, sleeveless t-shirt, a black belt, a dark blue skirt, and blue tennis-shoes. She also had let her hair down and gotten it cut shorter.

Brock, Max, and the Pokémon closed their mouths the quickest, but Ash, Gavin, Tracey, and Gary took a little bit longer to close their mouths at the sight of the three girls.

After the boys were done staring, the girls smiled and said, "Alright, let's go."

* * *

><p>Later, after getting back to the Ketchum house and the Oak lab, they all packed their bags for the trip. Once the packing was done, they ate one last lunch at the Ketchum house before leaving.<p>

Professor Oak, Mrs. Ketchum, and Mr. Mime waved as the nine friends and their Pokémon walked down the path leading out of Pallet Town.

Now that they were ready, the trainers were all now starting to travel the path towards their destination: The Amaro Region. What adventures await them on their journey? We'll soon find out!

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 5: "Viridian Date Expectations! Ash &amp; May's First Date!"<span>_- After arriving in Viridian City, the group has decided to stay at the Pokémon Center for the night. Ash takes the opportunity to ask May on a date, to which she says yes. However, what will the others do when they find out that Jessie and James have chosen this night to try to exact their revenge on Ash? Will the group be able to keep Team Rocket from ruining Ash & May's date? You'll have to continue reading Pokémon: League of Ultimates to find out!

**New fashions galore! Plus, teams have been made! Read & Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**5th Chapter, and a first date, too! Read on to find out what happens! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon!**

_Chapter 5: "Viridian Date Expectations! Ash & May's First Date!"_

"Come on, guys!" Ash said as he ran up the hill. "Viridian City's just over this hill!"

While Ash and Pikachu were running up the hill frantically, everyone else was tired from the long walk to Viridian City. Having just left Pallet Town earlier that day, plus the whole "shopping experience" earlier, everyone was ready for a rest.

Finally, after everyone reached the top of the hill, they could see their stop: Viridian City. Ash, Misty, Gary, May, Brock, and Max all thought about some of their previous experiences in this city.

"Hey, yous' guys! Last one down is a Slowpoke!" Meowth said as he began running down the hill with Pikachu, Piplup, and Pichu right behind him. Soon, the others participated in this race until they all reached the Pokémon Center.

As they all walked in, they could see all of things they had come to expect to see in a Pokémon Center: trainers, Pokémon, videophones, and at the counter…

"Nurse Joy!" Brock practically shouted as he sped over to her and went down on one knee and took the pink-haired nurse's hand. "I know that you may not remember me, but I was here before, and I'm back now to continue our never-ending…OUCH!"

"Not today!" Two voices yelled in unison.

"Croa!" A purple frog Pokémon croaked.

Ash, May, Dawn, Gary, Tracey, Gavin, Meowth, Pikachu, Piplup, and Pichu watched as the Pokémon Doctor-in training was hit in the back with a Poison Jab attack by Croagunk, and then pulled by the ears and legs away by the Toxic Mouth Pokémon and Misty and Max.

"Wow," Gavin whispered to the others. "Does that happen often?"

"Only about every day and every time he sees an attractive older girl," Ash said in a nonchalant tone.

Even though the others were used to Brock's shenanigans, Gavin, Pichu, and Meowth didn't know if they'd ever be used to it.

* * *

><p>After giving Nurse Joy Pikachu, Pichu, Piplup, Meowth, Croagunk, and the other Pokémon to be checked up on, the group decided to check out the city while they waited. Before they left the center, however, Ash had something on his mind.<p>

"Hey, May?" He said to the brunette from Hoenn. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me tonight?"

Everyone stood there shocked. Since when did Ash ask girls on dates?

May just smiled and said, "Sure, pick me up at eight." She and the other girls then giggled and went to their room.

"Well, there goes our sightseeing plans," Max sighed as the girls walked out of sight.

"Ashy-boy, I never knew you to ask people on dates," Gary said with a snicker.

Everyone thought that Ash was going to explode with rage, but he just smiled and said, "Whatever, Gary. You're just jealous that I can get a date, but you can't."

The others looked at Gary, who looked like his head was going to explode. Ash then just smirked and walked over to the guys' room to get ready for that night.

The other guys chuckled at the look on Gary's face. Gary noticed them laughing and yelled, "WHAT ARE YOU GUYS LAUGHING ABOUT?"

* * *

><p>Later that evening, after the Pokémon were finished with their check-up, Ash had gone to his room with Pikachu, Meowth, Gavin, and Pichu in order to get ready for his date.<p>

"What am I going to do! I can't believe that I asked her on a date!" Ash said as he frantically ran around the room.

"Don't worry," Gavin said calmly. "You've already kissed her, so taking her out on date shouldn't be so hard."

"Yeah," Ash said before realizing what his cousin had just said. "Hey, wait a minute! How did you know about that?"

"Well, you just told me," Gavin said with smirk. "Plus, when you asked her out earlier, I realized why you and her had been gone for so long the other night."

Ash turned red and started fiddling his fingers, which he always did when he was nervous.

Gavin put his arm on Ash's shoulder reassuringly and said, "Don't worry. No one else knows but me, Pikachu, Pichu, and Meowth."

"Yeah, we won't tell!" Meowth said proudly.

"Pika pika pika," Pikachu whispered to Pichu. ("That is, if Meowth doesn't open his big mouth.")

"Hey, I do not have a big Meowth (mouth)!" Meowth said angrily.

Gavin sweat dropped and then turned to his cousin, who was now wearing a standard black tux.

"Don't worry, cos," He said as Meowth chased the two Electric Mouse Pokémon all around the room. "You've got this. Now, did you get her a flower?"

"Yeah," Ash said, pulling out a white rose. Gavin had suggested earlier to get her a rose of a different color than red after he had told him about Drew and his multitude of red roses.

"Then you're good," Gavin said, calming Ash down completely. "We've already reserved you guys a table at that restaurant that we saw. Plus, since our Pokédexes have a video chat feature, you'll be able to call me at any time if something goes wrong."

"Okay, what about Meowth and Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"I'll watch them," Gavin said as he grabbed the Cat Pokémon as he was passing. "Now, it's almost 8:00. You'd better go and pick her up."

* * *

><p>"I'm so nervous!" May said as she frantically ran around to get ready for her date with Ash.<p>

"Calm down, May," Dawn said as she helped her friend get ready. "Everything will be okay."

"But I've never been on a date before!" May said as she put on her dress. "Let alone one with Ash!"

"May, you've gotta calm down!" Misty said as she sat on the bed with Azurill and Piplup. "I'm sure everything will be alright."

"Yeah, I'm sure Ash is just as nervous as you are," Dawn said as she handed May her shoes. "Plus, he's got Gavin in their room to calm him down and help him get ready."

"It's a good thing that it's just Gavin and not the other guys," Misty said as she watched her friend get ready. "Those other guys wouldn't have been much help to him."

"Yeah, because Max is May's younger brother and he likes to prank her; Brock can't ever get a date," Dawn said as she went down the list.

"And Gary and Tracey probably know less about taking a girl out on a date than Ash!" Misty pointed out. "I mean, you never see them going after a girl! Couldn't they even try to ask me…?"

That got May and Dawn chuckling as they watched Misty turned red, just now realizing what she had just about said. Then, the laughter stopped as they heard a knock on the door.

"He's here!" May said as she ran to the door.

* * *

><p>Ash stood there outside of the girl's room's door feeling very nervous. He had never been on a date before, let alone asked a girl out. He and May had already kissed, but that seemed like the easiest thing in the world compared to a first date. Then, the door opened and his jaw dropped.<p>

Ash saw a brunette wearing a sapphire-colored dress that went extremely well with her eyes. The dress showed just the tiniest bit of cleavage, and she wore sparkling, blue high heels. She did not wear her usual bandana, but her hair still looked amazing.

"Whoa," He said, causing his date to smile that wonderful smile.

As Ash was admiring May, she was doing the same to him.

'_Ash looks so much different,_' she thought as she looked him down.

He wore a black tux with a black bowtie, black hard-toed shoes, and a white inner shirt. It looked like he had tried to fix up his usually messy hair, but the hair was fighting back. With no hat covering his head though, his hair was able to keep straight.

Ash then handed her a white rose. She was so happy that he hadn't given her a red one. This rose was so much better than all of the roses that she had received from Drew in the past.

Ash then bowed, held out his arm and said, "Shall we go then, my lady?"

May giggled and then took his arm. They then walked out of the Center and started to head for the destination of their date.

'_I was worried for nothing,_' May thought as they walked through the city. '_What could possibly go wrong tonight?_'

* * *

><p>Little did she know that two people, a man and woman, were following them.<p>

"I believe it's time for our revenge," The woman whispered to the man.

"I believe you're right. Let us go," The man said quietly as they went to pursue their vendetta.

Little did they know that a certain feline Pokémon had been watching them from the bushes.

* * *

><p>Gavin, Dawn, and the others were sitting the lobby, wondering how Ash and May's date was going, when all of the sudden, Meowth ran in through the doors, looking around frantically until they saw them.<p>

"Guys, guys, help! Ash and May are in danger!" He yelled as he ran to them.

Everyone was confused until finally, Dawn said, "Meowth, calm down! What do you mean they're in danger?"

"Well, I was outside, watching Ash and May leave for their date, when suddenly, I saw two peoples following them!" Meowth slowly explained. "They were in disguises, but I could tell that it was Jessie and James! I heard them sayin' that they were gonna exact their revenge or something!"

"We should go help them," Misty said, standing up.

"Yeah, let's go," Gary agreed.

They were all about to leave, when Gavin stopped them and said, "Hold on. We can't all go!"

"What do you mean? We've gotta save my sister!" Max shouted.

"I mean that if we all go, Team Rocket will notice us and try to separate us from Ash and May!" Gavin said, causing the group to gain an understanding of the situation. "Only a couple of us should go, while the rest of us stay here in case we need back-up. Dawn, Pikachu, Piplup, Meowth, Pichu, and I will go. The rest of you stay here and we'll call Max's Pokédex or Brock's Pokégear if there's trouble."

Everyone agreed and the small group of two humans and four Pokémon left to go stop Team Rocket.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Ash and May had arrived at their destination: <em>The Viridian Star<em>. It was a widely popular restaurant throughout Viridian City. After getting a table, Ash and May began looking at the menus.

"Wow, a lot to choose from," Ash said as he looked through the long list of items. "What are you gonna have?"

"I don't know," May said with a sigh. "I just can't decide!"

"Hey, why don't you order something and I'll order something, and then we'll share?" Ash suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea!" May exclaimed.

With that they both ordered something that they would both like, and then they waited for their meal.

Ash saw that the food was taking a while, so he decided to strike up a conversation with his date.

"So, May," Ash said nervously, "How did you do in the Johto Grand Festival?"

"Um," May said, her face red as she began fiddling her fingers, "I got to the finals, but got second place after losing to Solidad."

"Wow, that's really good!" Ash said with a sincere grin on his face. This caused May to smile.

"You always know just what to say, don't you?" May said, as she reached over the table for his hand.

"Well, it's easy when you're saying it to someone as beautiful as you," Ash said, reaching over the table and grabbing May's hand.

The two of them continued to stare in each other's eyes until they heard a voice behind them say, "Dinner is served."

Then, a mechanical arm appeared out of nowhere and grabbed May.

"Ash, help!" May screamed as she was pulled into the arms of a robot that broke through the restaurant roof.

"May!" Ash yelled as he ran towards the arm, jumped up, and began trying to free her.

"Hahahaha! You must realize that you can't save her," A feminine voice said with a snicker.

"Team Rocket!" Ash yelled in anger.

"Did someone call our name?" The female said as the cockpit began to open.

"Surely we're not to blame!" A man's voice pronounced.

"Putting the world in devastation!"

"Uniting all within the new sensation!"

"Thrusting the black dust of shadows throughout the age!"

"Blinding all with the fire of our rage!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Causing evil and chaos wherever we show!"

"Stealing Pokémon is the way we go!"

"Now, say goodbye for our rhyme is done!" The two said in unison.

"What are you two doing here!" May said angrily.

"We're here to exact our revenge on you twerpy lovebirds!" Jessie said with a sneer.

"And there's nothing you can do to stop us!" James said proudly.

"Not if I have anythin' to say about it!" A familiar voice yelled in the distance. "Pay Day!"

Then, a bunch of white orbs appeared and began striking the robot, causing it to let May go and gave Ash and her the opportunity to get back to the ground.

"Who did that!" James said angrily.

"Dat would be me!" The voice said again. Then, all of the sudden, Meowth appeared next to Ash and May. Behind him was Gavin, Dawn, and the rest of the group, whom they had called earlier.

"Meowth, you traitor!" Jessie shrieked with anger.

"You're the traitors! Ditching me back in Unova after I got fired! You should have defended me!" Meowth yelled at the top of his lungs. "But now, after traveling with the twoip and Pikachu for all of this time, I'm glad I got fired! And now, I'll show you why! Night Slash!"

Meowth then jumped at the robot with its claws out and glowing purple. He then slashed through one of the arms and then landed gracefully on the ground.

"Since when are you able to use such powerful moves!" Jessie asked in shock.

"Since I realized my full potential of being a good guy!" Meowth answered. He then turned around to the others and said, "Alright, guys, let's get 'em!"

"Right," the group nodded. They then each brought out a Pokémon to destroy the robot with.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled.

"Glaceon, use Shadow Ball!" May commanded.

"Piplup, use Hydro Pump!" Dawn shouted.

"Magmar, use Flamethrower!" Gavin instructed.

"Croagunk, use Poison Sting!" Brock ordered.

"Corsola, use Spike Cannon!" Misty cried.

"Umbreon, use Pursuit!" Gary directed.

"Venonat, use Psybeam!" Tracey yelled.

"Grovyle, use Bullet Seed!" Max commanded.

In a flash of Electric, Ghost, Water, Fire, Poison, Normal, Dark, Psychic, and Grass-type attacks, the robot exploded and Team Rocket was sent packing.

"We're blasting off again!" The two yelled as they disappeared into the moonlight.

* * *

><p>Because the restaurant was destroyed, the group had to leave and go back to the Pokémon Center. Crying in her room, May was really mad at Team Rocket for ruining her and Ash's first date. Misty and Dawn were trying to do everything to cheer her up, but nothing worked. Then, there was a knock at the door.<p>

"Go away!" May yelled as she went back under her pillow and burst into tears.

Dawn walked over to the door and opened it, seeing that the one who knocked was Gavin.

"What is it, Gavin?" Dawn asked irritably.

"Well, I have a message to May from Ash," Gavin explained.

That got May out from under her pillow.

"What does he need?" She asked as she wiped away the tears.

"He said to come downstairs to the cafeteria," Gavin replied. "He said that he's got a surprise for you."

May, who was still in her dress, ran past the girls and Gavin out of the room and down the stairs.

When she got downstairs, she saw a covered table with a dinner on it, lit by candlelight. Waiting by the table was Ash, who was still adorned in his tuxedo.

May broke out into a huge smile, her eyes sparkling.

"Oh, Ash!" She said as she went over and kissed him with passion.

* * *

><p>What the couple didn't know was that there were seven people and several Pokémon watching them from the stairs.<p>

"Eww," Max said in disgust. "That's just wrong!"

Everyone chuckled at the remark and Gavin began patting him on the back.

"You'll understand when you're older," Gavin said with a wink.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu laughed from Max's shoulder.

"So are they like a couple now?" Tracey asked, clearly confused.

"Don't worry, Tracey," Gary said with a snicker. "You'll understand when you're older."

This got Tracey fuming while the others laughed quietly so the couple in the cafeteria wouldn't hear them.

"I wonder who'll be a couple next?" Brock thought out loud.

"Obviously, not you Brock," Misty answered, causing the Pokémon doctor to get just as mad as the sketching lab assistant. Everyone else laughed, including Croagunk.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 6: "The Rock-Hard Battle! Max V.S. Forrest!"<span>_- The group, after arriving in Pewter City, home to Brock, head to the gym to visit Brock's family. There, Max meets up with Forrest, Brock's younger brother and current leader of the Pewter City Gym. Max challenges him and the two have a battle for the Boulder Badge. Who will win? Tune in to Pokémon: League of Ultimates and you'll soon see!

**Man, Ash. I'm impressed! And Brock, really? Read & Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**6th chapter ahoy! And it's a Gym Battle! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon!**

_Chapter 6: "The Rock-Hard Battle! Max V.S. Forrest!"_

"It's great to be home!" Brock said as stood at the top of the hill overlooking Pewter City. He breathed in the fresh air that he spread throughout the place.

While Brock was happy to be back home, Misty was just happy to be out of the Viridian Forest.

"Eww, I think I've still got some String Shot on me," Misty said as she frantically wiped off her shoulder.

"Man, Misty. You're such a girl," Ash mumbled. Unfortunately for him, she heard him.

"You're gonna regret saying that Ash Ketchum!" She said, bringing out a large, wooden mallet. Ash and Brock all of the sudden looked really scared. The others didn't know about the mallet, but Ash and Brock had felt its strike many times.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Ash yelled as Misty began chasing him down the hill and into Pewter City, her deadly mallet coming closer and closer. The group sweat dropped and then sighed.

"Here we go again," Max said as they slowly began following the frightened male and the furious female.

* * *

><p>(Theme songanimation)

'_Po-k__é-__mon!' (We see the Pok__é__mon logo; music playing is similar to the music heard in Advanced Battle and Advanced Challenge themes)_

_ 'I've traveled far and wide, on a never-ending journey.' (Shows Ash on a plateau with Pikachu)_

_ 'I've met many foes and I've finished many tasks.'(Around a close-up of Ash and Pikachu's faces are scenes of his toughest rivals and fiercest battles)_

_ 'And even though the journey may be long, I've got friends by my side,' (May appears by his side, we see images {floating around the edges of the screen} of all of his current traveling partners, plus Iris and Cilan waving with Haxorus, Excadrill, Emolga, Cryogonal, Simisage, Crustle, and Stunfisk)_

_ 'And together, we will face… the ultimate test!' (Ash is dragging May along a pathway; Misty, Gary, and Tracey are seen on jet skis; Brock and Max are driving a Jeep by them with Meowth in the back seat, guitar starts going faster)_

_ 'Come on, we don't have time to rest!' (Dawn jumps and runs with Piplup and the others behind her, guitar still going faster)_

_ 'Let's go!' (Gavin, with Pichu on his shoulder, throws a Pok__é__ball at the screen)_

_ 'We are strong!' (Primeape is fighting a Conkeldurr)_

_ 'We will fight!' (Pidgeot is having a sky battle with a Skarmory)_

_ 'We will battle for the light!' (Pupitar is using earthquake against a Rhyperior)_

_ 'We are bold! (Haunter is laughing and throwing a Shadow Ball at a Dusknoir)_

_ 'We'll accept… any fight,' (Ivysaur uses Solarbeam on a Tangrowth)_

_ 'That comes to our sight!' (Lucario uses Aura Sphere on a Zoroark)_

_ 'Any foe, we will face,' (Meowth uses Pay Day on Giovanni's Persian)_

_ 'Before they know it,' (Samurott uses Razor Shell on Gyarados)_

_ 'We'll have won the ultimate race!'(A Hydreigon is fighting Gible; Gible jumps above it and uses Draco Meteor on it and the screen)_

_ 'League of Legends! Go!'(Guitar solo, scenes of various other Pok__é__mon of the group using attacks; Plus, Team Rocket is shown blasting of; shadows of the new evil team; Music slows a bit down in the end,)_

_ 'Together we will be,' (Charizard uses Flamethrower on Ho-oh)_

_ 'Champions, you'll see,' (Pikachu is running towards a Zekrom using Volt Tackle)_

_ 'Of the League of Ultimates!' (Shows Ash holding out a Pok__é__ball, Pikachu on his shoulder; May grabs his hand)_

_ 'The League of Ultimates!' (Now it shows the whole group, nine people and a few Pok__é__mon: Pikachu, Pichu, Piplup, Croagunk, and Meowth) _

_ 'Po-k__é-__mon!' (We see the logo and the "League of Ultimates" logo under it)_

* * *

><p>It took the group ten minutes to find Ash knocked out and tied to a tree that Misty was standing by. Everyone laughed, but May still went over to Ash to make sure he was okay.<p>

"Misty, did you really have to hit him so hard?" May asked exasperatedly.

"Yes," Misty said, calmly putting away her mallet. "Even if he is your boyfriend now, he still needs a good hit once in a while."

At this point, Gary and Tracey decided to take Misty to the Pokémon Center until Ash recovered in order to calm her down completely. Brock, Max, Dawn, Piplup, and Meowth went on ahead to the Pewter City Gym. Gavin would have gone with them, but May made him stay and help her.

"Why do I have to help?" Gavin asked.

"Because I said so, that's why. Besides, I could always tell Dawn your secret," May said with an evil looking smile on her face.

"Uh, he told you?" Gavin asked, turning red. May nodded and with a sigh, Gavin went over with Pikachu and Pichu to cut Ash down. Gavin cursed himself for telling his bigmouth of a cousin his secret last night.

* * *

><p>(Flashback)<p>

_Gavin looked up from the book he had been reading in his bed to see his cousin Ash slowly and quietly enter his and the other guys' room. Ash had just finished his dinner with May. Ash sighed happily as he climbed into the bed right under Gavin's. Pikachu, who had been sleeping with Pichu on Gavin's bed, saw that his trainer had returned and then climbed down to Ash._

_ "Hey, buddy," Ash said as he gave Pikachu a hug. Pikachu then lay on the bed and fell back asleep. _

_ "So, Ash," Gavin whispered so that only Ash could hear, "How'd it go?"_

_ "Great," Ash replied as he happily thought about May. "Your idea really came in handy."_

_ "Well, it wasn't really my idea," Gavin admitted. "Dawn actually came up with it. She told me to tell you."_

_ "Hey, Gavin, I've been wondering about something," Ash said seriously, which caused Gavin to look down below his bed at his cousin. "Do you like Dawn or something?" _

_ Gavin turned red and said, "Wh-what! What do you mean?"_

_ "Well, Dawn told May about the other morning when you two were up early in the morning," Ash explained. "Then, Misty told me that when the group split up to go stop Team Rocket, you chose Dawn as your partner. Now, answer my question: do you like Dawn?"_

_ Gavin blushed and thought about it. Maybe he did like Dawn. However, they had only known each other for a few days. Plus, he didn't know what the group might think of him when his big secret got out._

_ "Well, I have to admit, she's very pretty," Gavin recounted. "She's really talented, really nice, and she was probably the first girl to warm up to me."_

_ "So you do like her," Ash said with a smirk._

_ "Don't tell anybody!" Gavin hissed. _

_ "I promise, cross my heart and hope to die," Ash said, crossing his heart._

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>'<em>So much for Mister Promise,<em>' Gavin thought as he freed Ash's body from the tree and then hoisted him up onto his shoulder. '_He'd better hope that Misty's mallet killed him, because if it didn't, I will._'

"Don't worry, Gavin," May said with a smile as the two walked along to Brock's house. "I won't tell, and I'll keep Ash's big mouth closed."

"I guess I can't blame him," Gavin said with a sigh. "If there's anybody that he would have to tell, it would have to be the girlfriend that he's crazy about."

"He is?" May said with a happy gasp that was clearly filled with the love she had for the boy that Gavin carried on his shoulder.

"Are you kidding? He's been talking nonstop about you! He even talks about you in his sleep," Gavin said with a chuckle.

"Pikapi chu chu!" Pikachu added with a laugh.

"Pipipipichu!" Pichu snickered at Pikachu's comment.

May sighed, looked over at her unconscious boyfriend and smiled.

"Don't worry, May," Gavin said reassuringly. "I know he's a bit dense sometimes, but he really does love you."

"I know," May said, holding her hands to her heart and sighing happily. She then looked over at Gavin and said, "And don't worry about Dawn, Gavin. From what she's said about you, she sounds like she's really fond of you."

"Really?" Gavin said with surprise.

* * *

><p>"Hello! Is anybody home?" Brock yelled as he, Max, Dawn, Piplup, and Meowth walked into the stone building known as the Pewter City Gym.<p>

"Brock!" A bunch of young voices could be heard yelling as a stampede of nine children came towards their older brother. Dawn looked surprised. Brock had always said that he had a lot of younger brothers and sisters, but she never knew that he had nine younger siblings.

"Hey, guys, it's great to see you, too!" Brock said as he was covered by eight of his brothers and sisters. The oldest of his younger siblings, Forrest, stood by his parents, who had just walked in, with a smile.

Brock then got up and introduced his friends that were currently here. They had met Max before; it took them a little bit of time to get used to the fact that Meowth was a good guy now; and Brock introduced them to Dawn and Piplup.

"What about your friends Ash, Pikachu, Misty, and May?" One of the kids asked.

"Don't worry, they're in Pewter City as well," Brock replied. "I'm traveling with them to the Amaro Region along with Gary, who challenged me to a Gym battle once, Tracey, who is Professor Oak's assistant and traveled with Ash and Misty through the Orange Islands, and a new friend, Gavin, who is Ash's cousin."

"So where are they?" another sibling asked.

"Well," Brock said, rubbing his head. Meowth decided to answer for him.

"The twoip, I mean Ash, is currently unconscious," Meowth explained. "At this point, May and Gavin should be bringin' him here. The other tree are at da Pokémon Center. They'll be here soon."

The kids all nodded at the talking Pokémon that had once been their enemy.

"Hey, Forrest, so how's the gym going?" Brock asked the current Pewter City Gym Leader.

"Huh?" Max said in shock. "You mean, he's already a Gym leader!"

Forrest was maybe a couple of years older than Max. Forrest nodded and said, "Yeah, Max. You know, last time I saw you, you hadn't started your journey yet, am I correct?"

"Yeah," Max said confidently. "But now, I've got a bunch of strong Pokémon! And I'll prove it to you! I challenge you to a gym battle!"

Everyone but Forrest was shocked.

"Max, don't you think it's a little sudden to be challenging Forrest to a gym battle?" Dawn asked.

"Don't worry about it Dawn," Forrest said with a grin. "Since the Indigo League is over for the year, we don't get too many challenges any more. Max, I happily accept your challenge."

* * *

><p>Later, everyone was in the gym's battle area. The others had soon arrived after Max's gym challenge and were sitting in the stands, all ready to watch. Ash, however, was still unconscious.<p>

"Do you think he'll ever wake up?" May asked Gavin.

"Eventually," Gavin said, looking at his cousin with a sigh. "Well, there is always one thing we could try."

Gavin went into his bag and got out a wrapped package of bread and meat.

"When did you get that?" Dawn asked at the sight of Gavin's hamburger.

"I went and got it just before the battle was to start," Gavin replied, unwrapping the package carefully. He then held the sandwich and held it over his cousin's nose, wafting the scent of it towards his nostrils. Ash's eyes bolted open and he rose quickly, grabbed the burger out of Gavin's hand, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"So what did I miss?" He asked with his mouth full, causing everyone to fall, anime-style.

After explaining to the currently eating Ash the events that had taken place during the period of his unconsciousness, the group turned and saw that the match was about to start.

Brock had volunteered to referee the match, just as Forrest had done for him when he had been the gym leader.

"This will be a 1-on-1 battle between Max, the challenger from Petalburg City, and Forrest, the Pewter City Gym Leader!" Brock announced to the crowd. "When the Pokémon of one side is unable to battle, the other side will be declared the winner! Battlers, choose your Pokémon!"

"Rhyperior, let's go!" Forrest yelled as he threw a Pokéball into the air, causing a large, rhino-like Pokémon with two horns on its face, a club-like tail, holes in the palms of its hands, and rocky, orange plating all over its body.

Max considered for a second on what Pokémon to send into battle against the Drill Pokémon. Then, he made his choice.

"Grovyle, it's time to battle!" Max shouted as the Wood Gecko Pokémon appeared onto the field, looking ready to battle the Rock-and-Ground type Pokémon.

"Rhyperior V.S. Grovyle!" Brock said, stating the battlers' names. "Begin!"

"Grovyle, use Bullet Seed!" Max commanded.

Grovyle shot a bunch of glowing yellow seeds from its mouth at a high velocity at Rhyperior. Rhyperior just blocked them with its arms, taking barely any damage.

"Rhyperior, use Megahorn!" Forrest ordered.

Rhyperior's horn began to glow white and it then ran towards Grovyle, ready to stab it.

"Grovyle, dodge it and then use Leaf Blade!" Max instructed.

Grovyle jumped over its ramming opponent and then brought a glowing green leaf on its forearm, causing Rhyperior to stagger back.

"Rhyperior, use Rock Wrecker!" Forrest yelled.

Rhyperior put its hands together, and small chunks of gray stones came out of the holes on its hands. The chunks formed together to create a large, gray stone with a glowing red outline. The outline faded, and then, Rhyperior threw it at Grovyle.

"Grovyle! Break it using DragonBreath!" Max shouted.

Grovyle opened its mouth and shot a green beam of air at the flying rock, causing it to shatter into several pieces that fell onto the ground.

"Grovyle, quick, while Rhyperior can't move! Use Leaf Blade!" Max ordered.

Grovyle ran towards Rhyperior and struck it with its glowing forearm leaf.

"Perior!" Rhyperior cried in pain.

"Rhyperior, use Dig!" Forrest commanded.

Rhyperior began rotating its body at a high speed. It began drilling underground. Grovyle looked around frantically, trying to find where its opponent was going to come out of the ground. Max looked worried.

'_Where is it?_' Max thought as he searched the battlefield for any sign of Rhyperior.

Then, the ground broke up under Grovyle and it was hit from under by a rampaging rhino Pokémon. Grovyle was knocked into the air and then it fell to the ground. It struggled to get up, breathing heavily.

"Rhyperior, use Horn Drill!" Forrest yelled.

Rhyperior's horn began spinning like a drill and it began running towards Grovyle.

"Grovyle, dodge it!" Max shouted.

Grovyle jumped into the air, but before it could get high enough, Rhyperior hit it with its horn. Grovyle was knocked down to the ground, knocked unconscious with swirls in its eyes.

"Grovyle is unable to battle! Rhyperior is the winner!" Brock said to the audience.

* * *

><p>May looked on with sadness as her brother walked over to his fallen Pokémon. She was about to run over to him, but Ash grabbed her shoulder. She looked at her boyfriend, about to protest, but he shook his head.<p>

"This is something that Max has to at first deal with on his own," Ash said calmly. "Give some time before you run to help him with."

Later, after dinner at Brock's house, while everyone sat around hanging out, Max sat outside alone.

"I need to help him through this!" May yelled to the others. She tried to go outside, but Ash stopped her.

"It's too early," Ash said as May tried to get past him.

"But what he's needs right now is his sister!" Misty protested.

"No, what he needs is some guy talk," Gary said swiftly.

"Well, who's gonna do that?" Dawn objected.

"I will," A voice said from the table.

* * *

><p>Max sat outside on the bench, fighting back the tears that he wanted to let fall down his face.<p>

"Hey, buddy," A voice said from beside him. Max looked and saw that it was a brown haired-boy with a small, yellow mouse Pokémon on his shoulder.

"Oh, it's you, Gavin," Max said as the boy sat down beside him. "I thought for a second it would have been May or her 'messenger boyfriend.'"

"Well, she wanted to come and talk to you, but her 'messenger boyfriend' stopped her," Gavin explained. He then looked at Max and asked, "So, how are you doing?"

"I don't know," Max said, looking at the ground. "Before I came here, I had been able to beat all of the gyms in Hoenn, and then made it to the Top Eight, just like Ash. Then, I came here, and I expected to win, like Ash did. Then, I…"

"Lost, just like Ash did," Gavin finished, causing Max to look at him in surprise. "Like me, as well."

"You lost your first gym battle?" Max asked.

"Yeah, it was up against Falkner, the Flying-type gym leader of Johto," Gavin said, gazing to the ground with remembrance. "I was overconfident, thinking that I would win just because I had Pichu. However, he beat me easily with his Noctowl, Dodrio, and Pidgeot."

"Really?" Max said in realization.

Gavin nodded and then said, "But I went afterwards by myself into a forest and trained with my Pokémon. Eventually, we went back and had a rematch, which we won this time. You see, you're not going to win every battle. Sometimes, you'll lose. However, it's those losses that help you learn to become a better trainer and a better friend towards your Pokémon."

Max looked at his Pokéball and smiled.

"You're right," Max said, now feeling better. "I'll just train some more and then come back another time and challenge Forrest again."

"That's the spirit," Gavin said as he looked at his Pichu.

"Pipichu!" Pichu said with a smile.

* * *

><p>When they came back inside, everyone noticed that Max looked happier than when they last saw them. Ash went over to Gavin, who still stood by the door.<p>

"Nice job," Ash said, which got him an angry look from his cousin. "What's wrong, cos?"

"I told you not to tell anyone our little secret," Gavin said calmly, but with a look of anger on his face.

Ash sweat dropped and started rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Heh heh," He said as his cousin gave him the death stare. Luckily, Dawn saved him.

"Gavin, that was such a nice thing that you did," Dawn said. Then, she gave him a peck on the cheek, which caused her to giggle, and then ran back over to the girls. Ash looked at Gavin, who had turned completely red with a look of shock on his face.

He soon recovered, however, and said to Ash, "I'll let it slide for now."

* * *

><p>The next morning, the group was heading out from Brock's house to go to Cerulean City. Due to a rude comment from Ash, the boy was at the moment being carried by Gavin on his shoulder.<p>

"Seriously, how many times am I gonna have to carry him?" Gavin asked the others.

"Well, depending upon how many times Ash is going to insult Misty," Gary said with a chuckle, "I would say a few more times."

"Come on, Gavin!" May said with a snicker. "He can't be that heavy, can he?"

"Ash, not so much. The extra fifty pounds of food from breakfast, a lot." Gavin answered, causing everyone to laugh.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 7: "Cerulean City Pok<span>__é__mon Contest! Misty V.S. May V.S. Dawn!"_- The group has decided to make a stop in Cerulean City when they learn that Misty's sisters are going to throw a Pokémon Contest at the gym! May and Dawn both enter, as well as…Misty! Who will win? Find out next time on Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**Don't worry, theme song's a one time deal! Tell me how I did! Now I have to say read & review, and beware Misty's mallet! Especially you, Ash!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A Pokemon Contest! Wonder who'll win? Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon!**

_Chapter 7: "Cerulean City Pokémon Contest! Misty V.S. May V.S. Dawn!"_

"Wow!" Max said in amazement as the group walked through the aquarium of the Cerulean City Gym. They all looked in awe at all of the Water-type Pokémon that swam through the water, separated from them by glass panels.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"Plup!" Piplup said, secretly wanting to swim in there now.

"Misty, did you and sisters get some more Water Pokémon since the last time me and Ash were here?" Brock asked.

"Yeah," Misty replied. "We got some new ones from areas in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova."

"Cool," Ash said as he walked with the group, holding May's hand as they walked through the hallway towards the gym's pool area. They had made their relationship official to the group earlier, however, they still hadn't told their parents.

* * *

><p>Anyways, the group finally reached the area where the gym's pool was. It was a large pool that connected to the aquarium, and it was surrounded by stands. It looked pretty much the same, except there were a few new additions to it.<p>

"What's going on?" Misty said out loud as they saw that two large screens had been put up, plus, there were three Contest judge's boxes. In a corner, they saw Misty's three sisters, Daisy, Violet, and Lily, talking to a few people.

They walked up to them, and as the people that the sisters had been talking to left, the Sensational Sisters noticed the group.

"Oh, hey, Misty!" Daisy said with a wave. "You made it back just in time!"

"Daisy, Violet, Lily. You remember Ash, Brock, and Tracey?" Misty said, pointing out our hero, the spiky haired Pokémon doctor, and the Orange Archipelago native lab assistant to Professor Oak.

"Hey, guys," the three girls said, acknowledging their presence amidst the squabble going on in the gym.

"Pika!" Pikachu said, annoyed.

"Oh, and Pikachu too," Misty said in embarrassment.

"Chu," Pikachu said, feeling better.

"And this is May, Dawn, Gary, and Gavin," Misty said, pointing to the others. "Plus, Piplup, Pichu, and Meowth."

"Wait! Aren't you May, the famous coordinator from the Hoenn Region?" Daisy asked excitedly.

"Yeah, that's me," May said humbly.

"And you're Dawn, the famous coordinator from Sinnoh!" Violet said in realization.

"Uh, yeah," Dawn said, turning red.

"This is just too perfect!" Lily said as the three sisters began to shake with excitement.

"What do you mean? What's going on?" Misty asked.

"You see, lately, we've been watching a lot of Pokémon Contests on T.V.!" Daisy explained.

"And so, since there haven't been any gym challenges lately," Violet added.

"We decided to hold an unofficial Contest here at the Cerulean City Gym!" Lily finished.

"A POKÉMON CONTEST!" The group exclaimed.

"Yeah, and the winner gets this!" Daisy said as she pulled out a ribbon that had a triangular shaped medal with light blue ribbon. "We call it, the Cascade Ribbon!"

"That's so cool!" Both May and Dawn exclaimed.

"Yeah, so, do you guys wanna, like, enter and stuff?" Daisy asked.

"Yes!" The two coordinators said in unison.

"What exactly happens in a Pokémon Contest?" Misty asked.

"Well, in a contest, there are two rounds. The first is an appeal round, where trainers show off their Pokémon's moves," Brock explained. "The Pokémon are given points based on how beautiful and skilled their appeals were. Then, the coordinators with the highest amount of points go on to the battle round. In that round, battles are held in which the Pokémon battle in an appealing way. The coordinators are given points during a 5 minute battle. The points are decreased if their opponent hits them with an attack, when an attack fails, when a particularly beautiful move is done, or when the opponent's move is used to their advantage."

"Oh, I see," Misty said with a smile of understanding. "I think I'll enter, too!"

"WHAT!" The group said in surprise.

* * *

><p>Later, the whole stadium was filled with Contest fans, waiting for the event to begin. In the stands sat Ash, Gavin, Brock, Gary, and Max, along with Pikachu, Meowth, and Pichu.<p>

In the judges booths sat the Sensational Sisters, who had watched enough of the Pokémon Contests to know how to judge the Contests correctly and fairly. The contest announcer was to be the Cerulean City Nurse Joy, who had happily volunteered.

In the dressing room, Misty, May, and Dawn were all busily getting ready for the contest. May was wearing her Arabian style outfit and Dawn was wearing her usual pink dress that she wore for her contests. Misty, however, was wearing a white one-piece bathing suit with a navy collar and a light blue jacket worn open and over the swimsuit, plus white flip flops.

"You look great, Misty!" Dawn said admiringly.

"Thanks," Misty said, looking at her Pokéballs, trying to decide what Pokémon to use for the appeal round. "So have you guys figured out what Pokémon you're going to use?"

The other two girls nodded. They had already made the arrangements in picking them.

"Well," Misty said in indecision, "I guess I use this one for the appeal round." She held up a ball for them to see.

"And this one for the battle round," She said, holding up another.

"Okay, let's go!" May said with enthusiasm.

* * *

><p>"Alright, let's get this Contest started!" Nurse Joy said to the crowd through a microphone. The crowd cheered as the spotlight went onto her.<p>

"In the first round, we will have our coordinators do appeals for the enjoyment of the audience and our judges, the Sensational Sisters!" She said, pointing her hand towards the three sister judges.

"So, let's begin with our first coordinator, Dawn!" She said as the blue-haired coordinator ran to the edge of the pool with a purple-and-white Pokéball in hand.

"Okay, Piplup, Spotlight!" Dawn shouted as she threw the ball into the air, releasing the small, blue, Penguin Pokémon appeared onto a floating platform, surrounded by a multitude of white stars.

"Pi-plup!" It said as it jumped around in a very hyperactive way.

"Piplup, use Whirlpool!" Dawn commanded.

Piplup released a large spiral of water towards the pool, causing a water tornado to form.

"Now, use BubbleBeam!" Dawn yelled.

Piplup fired a bunch of bubbles at the tornado, causing them to swirl around the spiral.

"Wow! Piplup has used the bubbles from its BubbleBeam and its Whirlpool to create a spiral of bubbles!" Nurse Joy exclaimed to the crowd.

"Now, finish it off with Hydro Pump!" Dawn shouted.

Piplup then sent a blast of water towards the spiral, causing the water to implode and create beautiful waves, and the bubbles to pop and create a shower of blue sparkles to rain down all around the stadium.

The crowd exploded into cheers as Piplup landed gracefully back onto the platform.

The three sisters all gave Dawn great reviews and then, Dawn waved to the crowd, who cheered harder than ever.

* * *

><p>"Wow, Dawn did a great job!" Gavin said as the crowd continued to cheer for their friend.<p>

"Funny how you're the first one to say something about the appeal, Gavin," Max said with a chuckle.

Gavin growled at the young trainer, who shrank down into his seat.

"Ah, young love," A deep voice said behind them. The boys turned around and saw a tall man wearing a black, spread hat on top of a head of short black hair, a long, black cloak connected around his neck with a red gem, a white-colored collared shirt, black pants, and black boots. On his shoulder sat a small, black bird with a crooked, yellow beak, a crest that looked like a witch's hat and a tail similar to a broom.

"Oh, hello, young friends!" The man said, noticing the boys staring at him. "My name is Jeremiah, and this is Mimi!" The Murkrow on his shoulder chirped in greeting.

After the boys introduced themselves, Jeremiah looked at Gavin and asked, "So, from what I've heard, you like this girl?" He pointed out Dawn, who was still waving to the crowd.

The other guys chuckled as Gavin turned red in both embarrassment and anger.

"It's quite alright, my young friend," Jeremiah said with a smile, "This reminds me of a quote." He then took out a small puppet of a man with wavy black hair and a black mustache, wearing a black suit.

"_We loved with a love that was more than love_." He had the puppet say in a squeaky voice.

"What's with the puppet?" Brock asked.

Then, in the puppet's voice, Jeremiah said, "_Don't question the puppet._"

The guys all turned back around, all very confused and creeped out, and went back to cheering for their friend, who had now exited back to the locker room.

* * *

><p>"Now, let's welcome our next coordinator, May!" Nurse Joy said to the crowd as the Hoenn brunette ran to the pool.<p>

"Glaceon, take the stage!" May yelled as she threw a ball into the air, causing the Fresh Snow Pokémon to appear onto a platform in a flash of sparkles.

"Glaceon, use Ice Beam!" May ordered.

Glaceon opened its mouth and a light blue ball appeared in front of it. It then fired light blue beams of light from the ball at the pool, freezing the water completely.

"Now, use Secret Power!" May shouted.

Glaceon's body glowed in a pink aura, and then, a wave of pink light came off of it, covering the ice. Then, the ice began to crack and break, but it soon began to gather together and create an iceberg around Glaceon.

"Use Mirror Coat!" May instructed.

Glaceon's body became surrounded by a white reflective glow, causing the ice encasing it to shine like a disco ball.

"Amazing! Glaceon's Mirror Coat has turned the iceberg into a mountain of lights!" Nurse Joy said to the audience.

"Now, finish it with Iron Tail!" May yelled.

Glaceon's tail took a metallic shine and it broke out of the ice, shattering it completely and creating ice blue sparkles that fell through the air.

The crowd cheered as May and Glaceon bowed to the audience after receiving good marks from the sisters.

* * *

><p>"May did awesome!" Ash said as May waved to the crowd.<p>

"Well, I guess we know who got Ash's vote!" Gary said, snickering.

"Shut up, Gary," Ash said without even looking at him.

* * *

><p>"Now for our next coordinator, the resident gym leader of the Cerulean City Gym, Misty!" Nurse Joy announced.<p>

Misty ran towards the pool, throwing a Pokéball into the air, saying, "Azurill, time for the show!"

In a flash of pink hearts, the Polka Dot Pokémon appeared in the water.

"Azurill, use Waterfall!" Misty commanded.

Azurill's eyes glowed light blue and a column of water rose from the pool. Azurill began swimming up the column in a fast, spiraling motion, stopping at the top, sitting on its buoyant tail.

"Now, use Water Sport!" Misty yelled.

Azurill opened its mouth and released several streams of water that surrounded the water column and rotated around it.

"Now, finish with Refresh!" Misty instructed.

Azurill's body began to glow light blue and waves of energy began going through the column and the streams, causing them to shine brightly.

"Incredible!" Nurse Joy said as she and the crowd watched the spiral of water and light.

After the water dissipated, Azurill did several flips through the air, landing softly on its tail on a platform, surrounded by sparkles. The crowd cheered loudly for the Water Pokémon trainer, who smiled brightly.

* * *

><p>Later, after several other appeals, the judges began deciding on the coordinators who would go on to the 2nd round.<p>

"Okay! Now, on the screen, you will see the four coordinators who will compete for the Cascade Ribbon in the battle round!" Nurse Joy said, directing everyone's attention to the screen. On the screen, four slots began shifting through the pictures of the competitors, until finally, they stopped on four pictures, three of them of Misty, May, and Dawn.

"Alright, they all made it!" Ash said in revelation.

"Yeah, but now, they have to face off against each other," Max said as-a-matter-of-factly.

* * *

><p>Soon, the first two battles were decided. After May beat the fourth coordinator, it was time for the battle between Misty and Dawn.<p>

"This will be a 5-minute battle between Misty of Cerulean City and Dawn of Twinleaf Town!" Nurse Joy said as the two competitors stood on either side of the field. "Whichever coordinator has the most points left at the end of the time-period will go onto the final round against May! Now, Begin!"

"Togekiss, Spotlight!" Dawn said as her flying Pokémon appeared into the air with small, pink petals flying around it.

"Corsola, time for the show!" Misty yelled as the Coral Pokémon appeared in a multitude of pink bubbles.

"Togekiss, use Aura Sphere!" Dawn commanded.

Togekiss put its wings together and fired a ball of blue aura at Corsola.

"Corsola, use Spike Cannon!" Misty ordered.

Corsola's body glowed white and then it shot a bunch of white spikes at the Aura Sphere, causing it to shatter, creating glittering shimmers of light.

Everyone awed at the light, while Dawn lost a little bit of her points shown up on the screen.

Dawn grimaced and then smiled at an idea.

"Togekiss, go underwater and use Sky Attack!" Dawn instructed.

Togekiss dove into the pool and its body began glowing in a white aura, causing the pool water to glow brightly and Misty to lose points.

"Corsola, quick, stop it by using Water Pulse in the pool!" Misty yelled.

A ball of water appeared in front of Corsola's open mouth and then it launched it into the pool, causing the water to ripple with vibrations, hurting Togekiss and stopping its attack completely. Dawn's points took a good hit.

"Now, use Head Smash!" Misty instructed.

Corsola's body became covered in a bluish-white glow and then it dived down into the water towards Togekiss.

"Togekiss, use Air Slash!" Dawn commanded.

Togekiss began spinning around, creating glowing blue bubbles. It then sent a large bubble speeding towards Corsola, knocking it out of the water. Misty's points took a heavy toll.

"Time!" Nurse Joy yelled as the buzzer went off.

Togekiss swam to the surface and shook the water off of itself on a platform.

"And the winner is…," She said as everyone looked to the screen. They both had similar amounts of points, but Misty's was slightly higher.

"It's Misty!" Nurse Joy announced. Misty began waving to the crowd with her Corsola on her arm.

Togekiss flew to Dawn and tried to comfort her, but Dawn stood there with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Togekiss," Dawn said as she walked back to the locker room with the Jubilee Pokémon flying after her.

* * *

><p>"Poor Dawn," Max said sadly as they watched their blue-haired friend walk off the field.<p>

"Someone should go talk to her," Tracey said observantly.

"Gavin, why don't you talk to her?" Ash said to his cousin.

"What! Why me!" Gavin said defensively. However, after a long, hard look from the other guys, Gavin sighed and walked out of the row, up the stairs, and towards the locker rooms with Pichu in tow.

"Good luck, my friend!" Jeremiah said with a wave.

"Mur-mur-krow!" Mimi squawked.

"Piiiiiiiiii," Pichu growled at the annoying crow.

* * *

><p>Soon, Misty and May were on opposite sides of the pool for the final round. Everyone was ready to see the final battle for the Cascade Ribbon.<p>

"It is now time for the final round between Misty and May!" Nurse Joy pronounced to the audience. "Whoever wins will have won this Pokémon Contest! Now, let's begin!"

The timer began counting down as Misty and May sent out Corsola and Wartortle into the pool.

"Corsola, use BubbleBeam!" Misty yelled as Corsola started releasing a stream of bubbles at the Turtle Pokémon.

"Wartortle, use Ice Beam!" May commanded as Wartortle shot several light blue beams of light at the bubbles, causing them to pop and create sparkles of blue light. The Ice Beam broke through the bubbles and continued on towards Corsola.

"Corsola, use Mirror Coat!" Misty ordered.

Corsola's body glowed yellow-orange and the beam of ice was deflected back towards Wartortle.

"Wartortle, use Rapid Spin!" May shouted.

Wartortle went into its shell and it began spinning like a disc. It was able to stop the Ice Beam when it hit the spinning shell, creating sparks of ice.

Through all of this, May and Misty had both lost the same amount of points.

"This is so exciting! Who will win?" Nurse Joy said ecstatically.

* * *

><p>Dawn sat in the locker room, looking down at the ground with tears falling down her face. Piplup and Togekiss stood in front of her, their efforts in cheering her up failed.<p>

"I can't believe this!" She cried. "I was able to get runner-up in the Sinnoh Grand Festival, and then I got in the top sixteen at the Hoenn Grand Festival. Now, I lost to someone who has battled all of her life. Am I losing my touch?"

"Pi-chu!" A voice said in front of her. She looked down and saw Pichu with an encouraging smile on its face.

"Pichu, what are you doing here?" Dawn asked the Pokémon.

"Hey, Dawn. Is it okay if we come in?" A familiar voice said from the doorway.

She looked and saw Gavin with his hand rubbing the back of his head uneasily.

"Oh, Gavin!" Dawn said in surprise, quickly wiping the tears out of her eyes. "Sure, come on in."

Gavin walked in, sat down next to her, and put an arm around her.

"You know, just because you lost, doesn't mean you have to cry," Gavin said, causing her to look in wonder at the boy. "I can't tell you how many battles I've lost. I was so mad and angry at myself for losing them."

"But in the end, I realized that everyone loses sometimes, even to people that have less experience about them. It's frustrating, but as long as you have fun in what you do, it doesn't matter if you win or lose at anything."

Dawn's tears ceased and then she smiled at the trainer.

"Thanks, Gavin!" She said, suddenly hugging Gavin. Gavin immediately turned red.

* * *

><p>"And, TIME!" Nurse Joy yelled as the buzzer went off. "And the winner is…May!"<p>

May and Misty's points had been close, but May had just a little bit more left.

The two shook hands as the crowd cheered. Soon, May was handed the Cascade Ribbon. Right near the stand was the rest of the group except for Gavin and Dawn, who had just walked back into the stadium together.

"Hey, look guys!" Max said, pointing at the trainer and the coordinator. He then began doing a little song: "_Gavin and Dawn, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-GGGGGGGGGG!"_

Everyone laughed at the sight of Max, who had been thrown into the pool by an annoyed May. Max looked mad at first, but then, he joined in the laughter.

* * *

><p>"Did you enjoy the show, my little friend?" Jeremiah said to Mimi, who happily chirped and ate the berry her trainer had just given her.<p>

Jeremiah then looked towards the sunset, his smile turning into a frown.

"Now, we must focus on the task at hand," He said as they began to walk down the hill towards Vermillion City.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 8: "Vermilion Reunion! Ambipom's Biggest Challenge!"<span>_- Ash and friends have arrived in Vermilion City, just to discover that there won't be a boat to Amaro until tomorrow! However, Dawn meets up with an old friend: Ambipom! They soon learn that Ambipom is supposed to compete in the final Pokémon Ping Pong Match of the season and she wants Dawn to do the match with her! Will Dawn and Ambipom be able to win? Find out in the next installment of Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**Wow, didn't expect the outcome of that contest! Well, maybe I did. And who is this Jeremiah guy? Read & Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! This chapter was a bit challenging to write. Not that good with sports writing. Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 8: "Vermilion Reunion! Ambipom's Biggest Challenge!"_

"What! What do you mean that there's not gonna be another boat until tomorrow?" Ash yelled.

The others sighed. They had left Cerulean City that morning and had arrived in Vermilion City about an hour ago. After navigating the city and finally finding the docks, they had just learned that they had just missed the boat to Amaro and would have to wait until tomorrow in order to get there.

After the dock worker apologized with a frightened expression on his face, he practically ran away, leaving Ash standing there, steaming in anger.

May just smiled and wrapped her arms around his muscular one.

"It's okay, Ashy," She said in a calming and seductive voice that made the others sweat drop. "We'll just wait until tomorrow's boat."

She felt Ash tense arms loosen up and saw that his anger had ceased. He looked down at her in such a mushy, lovey-dovey sort of way, that it made Max gag at the sight of it.

"Besides," She said, still maintaining her mesmerizing voice, "There's supposed to be this amazing restaurant here with all of the best food…"

Ash and Pikachu, who sat on the shoulder opposite of May, both went wide-eyed and drooling at the sound of that word.

"Food! Where?" He said, looking around for any sign of that wonderful sustenance that he longed for. Pikachu was even sniffing the air in order to help his trainer.

Everyone laughed. Ash turned red, embarrassed at his actions, and then turned to May and smiled.

"So, where is this place?" He asked, causing her to grin in excitement.

* * *

><p>The group soon arrived at a huge restaurant by the name of <em>The Striking Raichu<em>. From the look of the sign with a picture of a Raichu on it, Ash and Pikachu remembered what they had done in Vermilion City the first time they had come there.

After getting a table, the nine teens began to order. As Gavin was looking at his menu, he began to feel a tickling sensation on his right side.

"Huh?" He said as he turned around. No one was there and the tickling was gone. Gavin shrugged it off and went back to the menu.

After a nice lunch, the group decided to go over to the Pokémon Center in order to reserve a couple of rooms for the night. When they got there, it was full of trainers all crowed around a poster that looked like it was just put up. While Brock went over to Nurse Joy, along with Croagunk, Misty, and Max, Ash and the others went over to go see what was going on.

As they got closer, they heard voices saying, "I hear that that the _Ace of Sinnoh _is going to face the _Johto Champion_ today!"

"Yeah, this match is going to be great! Best all season!" Another voice added.

"I wonder what's going on," Ash thought out loud.

"It's probably Pokémon Ping Pong," Gavin answered nonchalantly.

"Pokémon Ping Pong! That means…" Dawn said as her heart raced.

Then, from out of nowhere, a large purple blur came and brought Gavin to the ground.

"Gavin!" The others yelled at the sight of the friend being knocked down. They looked down and couldn't believe what they saw.

Gavin was flat on the ground, being tickled by a purple, monkey-like Pokémon with two tails, each with a rounded-hand with three red-tipped fingers, a split hair at the top of its head, and a purple, triangular nose.

"Stop! Stop! That tickles!" Gavin said, rolling on the floor laughing from the tickle attack of the hyperactive Long Tail Pokémon. "Could someone get this Pokémon off of me?"

"Ambipom!" Dawn exclaimed as her old Pokémon saw her and smiled. They both jumped towards each other and embraced. At this point, Gavin was able to get up.

Pikachu and Piplup ran over to their old friend to greet her.

"Pika!" Pikachu waved.

"Pi-plup!" Piplup said as it hugged one of Ambipom's tails.

"Ambi!" Ambipom said, happy to see her old friends.

Just then, a man with purple hair, wearing a green T-shirt and a yellow jacket walked up.

"There you are, Ambipom! I was wondering where you…" He had just noticed the teens. "Ash, Dawn! It's nice to see you again!"

"Likewise," Ash and Dawn both said to their old friend, O, leaving the others confused.

* * *

><p>After waking Brock up and he, Ash, and Dawn introduced O to their friends, they all sat down in the Pokémon Center lobby. O began to talk about the upcoming match that way taking place today.<p>

"This is the final match of the season," O explained. "After this, it'll be over for a whole year."

"Who's in the match?" Max asked.

"We heard something about the 'Ace of Sinnoh,'" May stated to the ones who had missed the conversation that they had unintentionally eavesdropped on.

"Yeah, and that's this little athlete here," O said, rubbing Ambipom's head, causing the Monkey Pokémon to blush.

"Wow, Ambipom, that's so cool!" Dawn said to her former Pokémon, causing her to turn even redder.

"And Ambipom's going up against the formidable Champion of Johto," O added.

"Who's the Champion of Johto?" Everyone but Gavin and May asked.

"I've got this one," May said, pulling out a magazine with a picture of a girl around Dawn's age standing next to a Xatu. "Her name is Elissa. She's an outstanding Pokémon Ping Pong player, and her Xatu is unbeatable! They've never lost once!"

"I played her once," Gavin said, looking at the magazine cover. "She's fast, and her Xatu's wings pack quite a punch."

"Plus, because it can see into the future," O explained with an ominous look, "It always knows how the opponent is going to hit the ball. Luckily, Ambipom shouldn't have that problem."

"How come?" Misty asked.

"Because Ambipom wants Dawn to be her partner in the match," O answered.

"WHAT!" Dawn shrieked.

"Ambi!" Ambipom said with a wide grin.

* * *

><p>Later, Ash and the others found themselves at the Vermilion City Pokémon Ping Pong Center, waiting to watch their friend in her upcoming match. Dawn, however, was freaking out in her team's locker room. She had already broken three paddles out of nervousness.<p>

"Dawn, calm down! You're going to do fine!" May said encouragingly.

"Yeah, from what we heard, you made the top four in the tournament back in Sandalstraw Town," Misty added.

"But this is different!" Dawn yelled. "That was a while ago! Plus, it was Ambipom who got us that far!"

Ambipom, seeing that her trainer was in distress, walked over to Dawn and stopped her before she broke her fourth paddle. Dawn loosened her grip and smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, Ambipom," Dawn said appreciatively. "I needed that. You know what, we're gonna win this time!"

As Dawn stood with her fist held into the air, pose and all, Ambipom danced around and cheered. They were both ready to win.

* * *

><p>"Welcome, everyone to the final match of the Pokémon Ping Pong World Championship!" An announcer's voice could be heard saying over the loudspeakers. "Today, we will see a fierce game between the Champion of Johto, Xatu and its partner, Elissa of Cianwood City, and the Ace of Sinnoh, Ambipom and her trainer, Dawn from Twinleaf Town!"<p>

Everyone cheered as the two competitors stood on either side of the smooth, green ping pong table. On one side, Dawn stood with a paddle in her hand, with her Pokémon beside her, readying her tails. On the other side stood the green, condor-like Pokémon, staring off into space. Standing beside it was a girl with green hair and brown eyes, wearing a bright yellow half shirt, a white skirt, and brown flip flops. She had a smirk on her face, as if she knew what was going to happen.

"The winner of this match," the announcer continued, "will receive the grand prize of the Pokémon Ping Pong Championship medal!"

Everyone looked towards a table near the scorekeeper's box. On it was a gold medal with long, red ribbon. Engraved upon it was an image of two paddles and a ping pong ball. It gave off a magnificent shine that was similar to the shimmer given off of a freshly won gym badge or contest ribbon.

"Alright, first team to eleven points wins the match," The referee stated to Dawn and her opponent. "Begin!"

Dawn served first. She hit towards Elissa, who hit it back easily. The ball bounced towards Ambipom, who hit it back just as easily to Xatu.

Xatu's eyes didn't move from its distant look as it smacked the ball back to Ambipom with one of its white wings. Dawn could already tell that this match was going to be a tough one.

* * *

><p>Ash and the others watched the match with intense focus as the two players and their Pokémon hit the ball back and forth without cease. It was sort of like watching a skilled and graceful dance.<p>

"Ambipom's gotten better since the last time we saw her play," Brock noticed.

"It's like ping pong has become her second nature," Ash added.

"Dis is gonna be a loooooong game," Meowth said with a sigh.

* * *

><p>Soon, after what seemed like hours, the score was tied 10 to 10. Now, Dawn and Ambipom only needed two points in order to win.<p>

A drop of sweat could be seen on Dawn's brow. This match required all of her concentration. Just one distraction could mean a loss for her and Ambipom.

The Long Tail Pokémon was just as focused. Each time the ball came to her, she hit it back easily with one of her tails.

Despite the intensity of the match, everyone could tell that all four of the competitors were starting to tire out. It looked like it took a lot of energy for Elissa to just hit the ball to Dawn. Even Xatu had a few drops of sweat dripping down its face.

Finally, Ambipom was able to score their team's eleventh point. Now, all Dawn and Ambipom had to do was score another point, and at the same time, prevent Elissa and Xatu from scoring again.

It was Elissa's serve. She hit it to Dawn, who hit it to Xatu. Xatu, slower than earlier, hit the ball to Ambipom.

As the ball came towards Ambipom, a knowing smile appeared on her face. She jumped into the air, and with a flip in midair, she came the ball a good hit. The force of the hit was so strong that the ball went towards Xatu with a powerful velocity that caused the ball to light up in blue flames.

This occurrence frightened the Future-seeing bird Pokémon so much that when it went to hit the ball, it missed completely. The ball fell to the ground in slow motion, finally hitting the ground. The impact of the ball when it hit the floor seemed to sound louder than it actually was.

Everyone watched the scoreboard as the Dawn and Ambipom's score changed from 11 to 12.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the Pokémon Ping Pong World Championship is the team of Dawn and Ambipom!" The announcer's voice blared through the speakers.

The crowd erupted into a large cheer. It took Dawn a second to realize what had just happened. Soon, however, her face broke out into a large smile.

"We did it!" She exclaimed, both her and Ambipom jumping up and down with glee. "We did it! We won!"

Five minutes later, she and Ambipom were presented with the Championship Medal. Dawn took the medal and put around Ambipom's neck.

* * *

><p>"They did it!" May said happily.<p>

"Yeah, after all of this time, they still make a great team," Ash commented.

* * *

><p>Later that night, everyone went back to the Pokémon Center in order to get some rest for their long journey tomorrow. Ash was sitting at a table, eating a late night snack (and by snack, I mean feast), when all of the sudden, he saw May and Max running up to him with panicked expressions on their faces.<p>

"What's wrong, May?" He asked worriedly.

"Max and I were just talking on the phone to Mom and Dad," May started to explain, "when MAX here (She said this with a quick look of anger at her brother, who responded, "I said I was sorry!") accidently let it slip the fact that we're dating. Now, my dad wants to have a word with you."

"Oh, boy," Ash said with a look of extreme panic on his face.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Gavin was watching the others talk on the videophones to their parents and families. He noticed that May was dragging a solemn-looking Ash towards one of them. This made him chuckle.<p>

Soon enough, Dawn said goodbye to her mom and then went to go sit by Gavin.

"Aren't you going to call your parents?" She asked.

"Uh, no," Gavin said with a laid-back look to him. "They know that I'll be fine as long as I've got Pichu here with me."

"Pi!" Pichu nodded from Gavin's shoulder.

Dawn saw that Gavin was looking down at the ground now, like there was something that he didn't want to admit. Before she could ask him what was wrong, a familiar purple blur appeared out of nowhere and knocked him out of his chair. Dawn looked under the table and saw Gavin on the floor, once again being practically tickled to death by Ambipom. Pichu stood next to him, laughing at the sight of his trainer.

"Ambipom, what are you doing here?" Dawn asked, surprised by the sight of her Pokémon.

Ambipom handed Dawn a note with one of her tail-hands and then proceeded to tickle Gavin ceaselessly. Dawn looked at the note and read:

_Dear Dawn,_

_ After the tournament ended, Ambipom was getting a little restless, and since the next season doesn't start for a whole 'nother year, I thought that it would be nice if Ambipom went with you on your trip to the Amaro Region. It'll be a nice break for her, and you two will be able to compete in the contests there. I wish the both of you luck!_

_Sincerely,_

_O_

"Wow, that's great!" Dawn exclaimed. "So, Ambipom, are ready to do more contests together?"

Ambipom nodded. Gavin's face, however, was slowly turning red as the monkey-like Pokémon used her extra appendages for her evil purposes.

"COULD SOMEONE GET AMBIPOM OFF OF ME!"

* * *

><p>"So, what did you want to talk about?" Ash said slowly. As if he already didn't know.<p>

"I wanted to talk about your dating of my daughter," A man with navy-colored hair and navy-colored eyes said with a stern look on his face. Behind him stood a large, bulky, ape-like Pokémon.

Ash had a frightened look on his face at the thought of what Norman could do to him if he ever got his hands on him. Then, out of nowhere, Norman broke out into a laugh. Ash looked confused.

"I'm just messing with you!" He said with a chuckle. "I'm absolutely fine with this! I don't mind that you're dating my daughter! If you make her happy, then I'm happy!"

Then, the stern look returned to his face and he said, "But if you do anything to hurt my daughter in any way,…well, use your imagination."

"Heh-heh. Right," Ash said, completely scared out of his wits at this point.

"But, Ash," Norman said with a grin and a wink, "Good luck."

"Thank you," Ash said, feeling a little better.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, everyone was trying to sleep, but to no avail. They were all too excited about tomorrow. Soon, they would be in the Amaro Region. And soon, they would all find themselves presented with the ultimate challenge.<p>

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 9: "A Seafaring Adventure! Captain Briney's Quest!"<span>_- The group is finally on the boat to Amaro! There, they meet an old friend who presents them a challenge to pass the time. Will they be able to complete the challenge? We'll see next time on Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**Hope you liked it! Haven't been getting that many reviews! Please give me some input and any ideas you have! Again, read and review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the wait! I wrote the first part of it, but then went back and changed it! Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 9: "A Seafaring Adventure! Captain Briney's Quest!"_

It was a bright and beautiful morning in the Vermilion Harbor as Ash and his friends walked towards a large and beautiful ocean liner.

It was about 3 floors high, the purest of white in color, and when it blew its horn, the sound was clear and lovely to the ear.

Having gotten the tickets the day before, they showed their tickets to one of the sailors at the bottom of the ramp and then climbed aboard the massive vessel.

They were told when they went to check into their rooms that their rooms were situated on the second floor. After five minutes of walking around the hallways of the second floor, they finally found their cabin, which held all of their rooms together.

As they entered the cabin, they saw a living room with a T.V., a small coffee table, a couch and several other chairs. Next to it was a kitchen and dining area. Brock had all that he could need to prepare the meals while on the trip.

In between the living and dining areas was a P.C., which had the capability of Pokémon transfer and calls to family and friends.

The cabin had three bedrooms. One would hold the girls; Ash, Max, and Gavin would take the second; the third would be home to Gary, Brock, and Tracey.

"This is amazing!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Ooh, I can't wait to relax!" May said excitedly.

"What is there to do on this boat anyways?" Max asked.

Brock quickly took out a brochure for the cruise liner that he had picked up in the lobby when they checked in.

"Let's see," He said as he began to read the brochure. "There's a pool to go swimming in with a diving board and a water slide…"

"Awesome!" May said suddenly. "That means I get to try on my new bikini!"

As May said that, Gavin looked over at Ash and saw that he was fist-pumping where May couldn't see him, silently saying "YES!"

"Near the pool, a lot of people sunbathe," Tracey read over Brock's shoulder. Brock knew at that point what he was going to do.

"There's an area where people can fish," Gary pointed out a picture of it on the pamphlet.

"Sounds like fun, right, Tracey?" Misty winked.

"Yeah," Tracey replied, turning red. "That does sound like fun."

"I'll join you if you don't mind," Gary said quickly.

"Sure, Gary," Misty said with a surprised look on her face. "That's fine."

Gary looked happy while Tracey stood there, fuming at the brown-haired researcher.

"Hey, Gavin, could you watch Pikachu and Meowth for me?" Ash asked his cousin.

"Sure, I guess," Gavin said, looking down at the Electric Mouse and the Scratch Cat Pokémon.

"Actually, I think I'll just stay here," Meowth said, walking over to the couch and turning on the T.V. This caused everyone to sweat drop.

"Max, what are you going to do?" May asked her little brother.

"I'm going to stay here with Meowth," Max said, plopping himself down next to Meowth. Everyone fell, anime-style.

After recovery, everyone but Dawn, Gavin, Max, Pikachu, Pichu, Piplup, and Meowth left to go do the activities that they had decided on. Croagunk could be seen out of its ball, following Brock.

* * *

><p>"So, since everyone else is off doing different things," Gavin said, looking at the brochure. "Why don't we go do something together?"<p>

"Sure!" Dawn said hurriedly. She then realized how fast she had said that, causing a pink tinge to appear on her face.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded, along with Pichu and Piplup.

"So what do we do?" Dawn asked.

"Hmm," Gavin said, carefully reading the brochure. "Hey, it says here that they're having something called 'The Captain's Challenge!'"

"The 'Captain's Challenge?'" Dawn repeated.

"Yeah," Gavin answered. "It looks like it's some sort of scavenger hunt. It says here that you have to go see the captain and he'll give you a quest of sorts."

"That sounds like fun!" Dawn said ecstatically.

"So I guess we should go see the captain," Gavin said, putting down the brochure. Then, all of the sudden, one of the Pokéballs on his belt opened and in a flash of blue light, Eevee appeared next to Gavin's leg, immediately rubbing against it.

"Vee!" It said, making some sort of purring noise.

"Aww, I think Eevee wants to help us!" Dawn said at the sight of the Evolution Pokémon.

Gavin turned red and then asked, "Eevee, is that true? Do you want to help us?"

"Vee!" Eevee nodded.

"Okay, let's go!" Dawn said, pointing into the air.

"Plup!" Piplup echoed as it mimicked Dawn's pose.

"Pika!" Pikachu said as he jumped onto Dawn's shoulder.

"Pi!" Pichu said as he climbed up to Gavin's head.

Gavin then picked up Eevee and Dawn picked up Piplup. Then, the two trainers and the four Pokémon left their cabin and started to head towards the captain's quarters.

* * *

><p>"CANNONBALL!" Ash yelled as he jumped from the diving board into the pool, now only wearing a pair of black swim trunks with a yellow lightning bolt pattern on them. As he hit the water, he made a huge splash that got a lot of people wet and angry.<p>

"Sorry," Ash said as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his now wet head. The passengers grumbled, but went back to their business.

"Hey, Ash!" A female voice that he knew very well called from the top of the diving board plank. He turned and looked, his mouth dropping at the sight that he now beheld.

He could see May wearing a red bikini that fit perfectly over her body. Ash hadn't looked at her like this back in the Hoenn Region, but now that they were dating, it was a different story.

She then jumped from the diving board and did a perfect 10 dive into the pool. When she surfaced, Ash felt like he was seeing her in slow motion, flipping her hair slowly and beautifully. She smiled when she saw the way that he was looking at her.

She noticed that he had been working out while he was in Unova. He wasn't disgustingly muscular; he had about the average muscle size for a guy his age. Turning a slight pink, she swam over to him.

"So, Ashy, what do you think?" May asked, modeling off the red bikini.

"The same thing I always think," Ash responded, getting a confused look from May. "You were beautiful before, you're beautiful now, and you always will be."

May gave him her beautiful and happy smile, while Ash's face broke out into an evil grin.

"ASH KETCHUM! PUT ME DOWN!" May yelled, having trouble breathing from her laughter as Ash held her up over his head.

"If you insist," Ash obliged, tossing her a few feet away into the water. Ash began laughing very hard when, suddenly, he felt something grab his leg and pull him under.

When Ash finally came up, he saw his beautiful girlfriend laughing. He then joined her and said, "I guess we're even."

"So that means we can do this," May said as she swam over to him and wrapped her arms around him. They then pressed their lips together and began a very passionate, and very wet, kiss.

* * *

><p>At this time, Brock was walking with a sad look on his face. He had tried flirting with some of the beautiful girls on the boat, but Croagunk had stopped him at every turn. Even now, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon followed closely behind him. Brock then looked over towards the pool and saw Ash and May making out. This made him feel even worse.<p>

'_How come even Ash is able to get a girl before me?_' He thought to himself. From behind, his Poison/Fighting-type Pokémon snickered at his trainer.

* * *

><p>Gavin and Dawn soon arrived at the captain's quarters. It was a large, metal door with a plaque at the top, inscribed with the word "Captain."<p>

"So, should we knock?" Dawn asked.

"I guess," Gavin answered, raising his hand to knock. Then, the door suddenly burst open and they were all knocked to the ground.

"Ouch!" Dawn moaned, rubbing her head.

"Man, that smarts," Gavin muttered as he felt his head ache.

"Chaaa!" Pikachu yowled as it lay sprawled on the ground.

Then, he saw a hand reach down to help him up. Gavin grabbed on, and soon, he and Dawn were pulled back to their feet. They then saw who their savior was.

It was a tall man with a dark tan and a long white beard, wearing a red vest, a collared blue shirt, white pants, brown shoes, and a skipper's cap. Flying next to the man was a large, pelican-like Pokémon with a white body, a yellow underside, blue-tipped wings, blue feet, a blue head crest, and a large, yellow beak with a throat pouch on it.

"Sorry about that," the man said with a smile.

"That's fine," Gavin and Dawn said in unison. Then, Pikachu suddenly ran to the man, saying, "Pika pika!"

"Well, hello there," the man said. Then, he began to look at the Pikachu strangely until a look of revelation appeared on his face.

"Are you who I think you are?" the man asked the Pokémon. Pikachu nodded and the man smiled and said, "Then you must Ash Ketchum's Pikachu!"

"You know Ash?" the two trainers asked.

"Yes, he and his friends once saved Peeko here from Team Aqua!" He said, pointing at the Pelipper, who chirped in greeting. "And by the looks of it, you two know him as well! Is he here?"

"Yeah," Dawn answered. "My name's is Dawn and this is Piplup. We traveled with Ash and Brock through the Sinnoh Region."

"It's nice to meet you, Dawn!" the man said. "My name is Mr. Briney and I'm the captain of this vessel! And this is my dear friend, Peeko!"

"Pel-ip-per!" Peeko squawked to Dawn.

Captain Briney then looked Gavin in the eyes and said, "You have the same eyes as Ash! Are you related to him in any way?"

"Yeah, I'm his cousin," Gavin replied. "And this is Pichu and Eevee."

"So, is Ash here?" Cpt. Briney asked.

"Yes, and so is May, Max, and Brock," Dawn said to the captain. "Plus, a few others. We're all traveling to the Amaro Region together."

"That's a fine journey, lassie!" Cpt. Briney nodded. "So, are you two here for the Captain's Challenge?"

"Yes!" The two of them said, the Pokémon nodded.

"Well, I guess it be time to give you your quest!" Mr. Briney said with a hearty laugh.

He then pulled out a rolled up piece of paper and handed it to Dawn.

"Your quest is to find a golden Pokéball that I hid somewhere aboard this ship and bring it back to me!" Cpt. Briney explained. "Several other teams are also participating, and whichever team has the ball at the end of the day receives a prize!"

"Awesome!" Dawn exclaimed. She then opened the map, pointed in a certain direction and said, "Let's go!"

She ran off, leaving Gavin, Cpt. Briney, Peeko, Pikachu, Eevee, Piplup, and Pichu there sweat dropping.

Gavin sighed, looked down at the Pokémon, and said, "Well, we'd better follow her."

* * *

><p>Ash and May, now finished swimming, were walking back to the cabin, May's left arm wrapped around Ash's right arm, when, all of the sudden, they saw a blue-haired blur run past them.<p>

They both stood there confused until they saw a panting Gavin, Pikachu, Pichu, Piplup, and Eevee walking after the blur. When he looked at them, they stared back with raised eyebrows until Gavin said, "Dawn."

"Ohhh," They replied, understanding. Pikachu then ran over to Ash, jumped on his shoulder and said, "Pika pika chu! (_Too tired to go on any more. I'm going back to the cabin with you guys._)

While Gavin and the three Pokémon continued to chase after Dawn, Ash, May, and Pikachu headed back to the cabin.

* * *

><p>Gavin and his Pokémon companions stopped to rest when they reached the top deck. It was obvious that they weren't going to catch Dawn, so they stopped to rest. Gavin looked around at the sunbathers, but became uneasy when he saw one that looked very familiar.<p>

It was a man with short black hair, wearing a wide spread, black hat, black sunglasses, and black swim trunks. On his shoulder was a Murkrow, whose eyes were closed, with a pink bow on her head. In his hands, he held a tanning mirror, and his black cloak was hung next to him.

Gavin leaned down to the Pokémon and whispered, "Just walk past him slowly."

The Pokémon nodded and the four of them began tiptoeing past the man. Then, when it looked like they were in the clear, they heard a familiar voice say, "Don't go!"

The four tensed up. They slowly turned around and saw Jeremiah and Murkrow looking up at them.

"Hello, again!" Jeremiah said as Gavin sighed. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Gavin replied curtly.

"Very wise," Jeremiah commented. "Not very polite, but very wise. Well, to answer your question, I am from the Amaro Region and I am heading home."

"Then why were you in Kanto the other day?" Gavin asked.

"Two reasons, one I shall give you, the other I shall not," He replied. "I was on a life's journey, to find myself."

Gavin and the Pokémon sweat dropped and Gavin said, "Well, I guess we'll be going."

But just as they were about to walk off, Jeremiah called out, "But don't you want to find the golden Pokéball?"

Then, Dawn suddenly appeared by Gavin's side, and said, "Did you say golden Pokéball!"

Gavin and the three Pokémon fell anime-style while Dawn continued to look at Jeremiah with wide eyes, saying, "Well, did you?"

After Gavin recovered, he introduced Dawn to Jeremiah and told him about how the guys met him the other day at the contest.

"Hey, isn't this the girl that you…," Jeremiah started saying.

"So!" Gavin stopped him, turning a deep shade of red. "You said you knew something about the golden Pokéball?"

"Ah, yes," Jeremiah answered. "I know something about it. I know where it is."

"Where?" Gavin and Dawn asked.

Jeremiah reached into his cloak, pulled out the golden Pokéball, and said, "Right here! (At this point, Dawn joins Gavin and the Pokémon in falling anime style) I found it earlier, and have been waiting until evening to claim my prize. But if you want it, I will battle you for it."

Gavin then rocketed back onto his feet and said, "Alright, I accept your challenge! Let's go!"

* * *

><p>After Cpt. Briney showed up and had the sailors clear the deck for the battle, the others showed up after Dawn called them about Gavin's battle with Jeremiah.<p>

To make the battle more interesting, Gavin and Jeremiah decided to use Wonder Launchers. Gavin's was the normal red, while Jeremiah's was a special black-colored one.

It was late afternoon, and the two battlers stood on opposite sides of the deck. After talking for a bit with Ash, May, Max, and Brock, Cpt. Briney stood on a platform as the referee. In his hand, he held the golden Pokéball.

"This shall be a 1-on-1 battle for the golden Pokéball!" He stated to the competitors and those watching. "The winner shall win the Captain's Challenge!"

"Gallade, come on out!" Gavin yelled as he threw a Pokéball into the air. In a flash of blue light, the Blade Pokémon appeared. (Gavin had gone and called Professor Oak to ask for his Gallade before the battle had started.

"Ga-lade!" He said as he showed off his extending blades.

Jeremiah just smirked, threw a Pokéball into the air and said, "Bisharp, release your inner rage!"

Soon, a humanoid creature appeared onto the deck. It had a round red-and-black head topped with a gold-colored, double-headed axe blade that resembled a helmet. Its face was yellow-and-black. It had red shoulder-pad-like shoulders with gold tips, black arms and a black torso, metallic, glove-like hands with retractable blade-like attachments on them, and on its torso, two blades that resembled a rib cage; it had circular thighs that were colored red and got thinner as they went down, and to top it all off, its feet were like steel war boots that were long and split down the middle.

"Bi-sharp!" It yelled as it brought out its arms blades and made a slashing motion to show them off. Gallade began to growl at the Sharp Sword Pokémon.

* * *

><p>"Wow! It's a battle of blades!" Misty commented.<p>

"This is going to be a tough battle," Ash said grimly.

"Pika," Pikachu nodded.

"What do you mean, Ash?" May asked.

"I've seen both Gallades and Bisharps before," Ash explained. "They're both the same height, they're both equally powerful, and they both are warriors."

"Yeah, there's no telling who'll win this battle," Gary agreed.

"It's like a white knight is facing off against a black knight," Brock observed.

"And they both have powerful swords!" Meowth said, causing everyone to sweat drop.

"But which knight will win?" Max thought out loud.

"It doesn't really help that both look like they've been trained very well," Tracey remarked.

"Good luck, Gavin!" Dawn yelled out.

"Plup!" Piplup repeated.

When everyone looked over at Dawn and Piplup with smirks and raised eyebrows, Dawn blushed deeply, but she continued to watch her friend.

* * *

><p>Gavin looked at Jeremiah and his Bisharp.<p>

'_This is going to be a tough battle,_' Gavin thought. '_Will I be able to win?_'

Then, he looked over at his friends, and specifically, Dawn, who blushed when he looked at her. Then, he looked beside his leg at Pichu and Eevee who cheered for their teammate.

_'Now I know I have to win,' _He thought as an intensity appeared in his brown eyes. '_For my Pok__é__mon! For my friends! For Dawn!_'

A blazing intensity like flames was apparent between Gavin and the mysterious trainer Jeremiah and their Pokémon. Now, the question is asked: Who will win the battle and the golden Pokéball?

"Begin!" Cpt. Briney shouted.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 10: "The Fiery Wonder Seaboard Battle! Gallade V.S. Bisharp!"<span>_- Gavin and the mysterious Jeremiah are about to engage in a battle for the golden Pokéball and the grand prize for winning the Captain's Challenge! It's Gallade versus Bisharp! White Knight V.S. Black Knight! Who will win? Find out next time on Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**Oh, no! Not Cliffhangers! Read & Review! See you next time!  
><strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**New Chapter! New Chapter! Hope you like the chapter! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 10: "The Fiery Wonder Seaboard Battle! Gallade V.S. Bisharp!"_

(Flashback to Last Chapter)

"This shall be a 1-on-1 battle for the golden Pokéball!" Captain Briney said to the two competitors on each side of the battlefield and to the audience on the deck. "The winner shall win the Captain's Challenge!"

"Gallade, come on out!" Gavin yelled as he threw a Pokéball into the air. In a flash of blue light, the Blade Pokémon appeared.

"Ga-lade!" He said as he showed off his extending blades.

"Bisharp, release your inner rage!" Jeremiah said with a smirk as he threw a Pokéball onto the deck. Soon, the Sharp Sword Pokémon appeared on the deck.

"Bi-sharp!" It yelled as it brought out its arms blades and made a slashing motion to show them off. Gallade began to growl at its opponent.

Gavin's friends looked on as the battle was about to begin. They hoped that he would be able to pull it off.

"Begin!" Cpt. Briney shouted.

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>"Begin!" The captain yelled.<p>

"Gallade, use Leaf Blade!" Gavin commanded.

Gallade extended both of his elbows to create blades. He then began to run towards Bisharp, his arm-blades glowing bright green.

"Bisharp, use Fury Cutter!" Jeremiah instructed.

The blades on Bisharp's arms began glowing red. It then started to run towards the already-rushing Gallade. The two met in the middle of the field and clashed their arms together, causing sparks to fly.

The two then broke apart and jumped back in front of their respectable trainers.

"Gallade, use Vacuum Wave!" Gavin ordered.

Gallade jumped into the air, his forearms beginning to glow white. He then spun around with his head and his extended arm-blades facing Bisharp and fired a horizontal tornado from his body at it.

As the cyclone came towards Bisharp, Jeremiah smiled and said, "Bisharp, use Iron Defense!"

Bisharp nodded at its trainer and its body began glowing with a blue outline. Then, the cyclone made impact on its target, but Bisharp just stood there like it didn't feel a thing.

As the cyclone continued to hit Bisharp, Jeremiah yelled, "Now, Bisharp, use Metal Burst!"

Bisharp's body glowed metallically and then created a white ball of energy that absorbed the cyclone. It then threw the ball at Gallade.

"Gallade, quick, use Teleport!" Gavin yelled.

Gallade's body glowed multicolored and then he disappeared in a flash of light blue vertical lines. After the Metal Burst attack hit the ground, Gallade reappeared a few feet away from where he last appeared.

* * *

><p>"Wow, that was close!" Tracey commented.<p>

"I can't believe how powerful that Bisharp is!" Max said as his eyes lay upon Jeremiah's Pokémon. "I don't think Gavin stands a chance!'

That comment gave him a hard chop from his older sister, who yelled, "Who's side are you on!"

Max waved both of his hands in front of his body at May, saying, "I'm on Gavin's! I'm just saying that Jeremiah's Bisharp looks pretty powerful!"

"But you forget, Max," Gary said with a smirk, "Gavin's Gallade is impressive, too. It takes great speed to teleport that quickly."

* * *

><p>"Gallade, use Psycho Cut!" Gavin commanded.<p>

Gallade's forearms began to glow light blue and the backs grew longer. He then began to swing his arms repeatedly, shooting multiple crescent blades of light blue energy at Bisharp.

"Bisharp, take it in!" Jeremiah instructed.

The blades of energy came at Bisharp and just bounced off of it, fell to the ground, and then dissipated.

"What happened?" Misty asked in a confused tone.

"Why didn't Psycho Cut work?" May added.

"Because Psycho Cut's a Psychic-type attack and Bisharp's part Dark-type," Ash explained. "Dark-types aren't affected by Psychic-type attacks."

"Bisharp, use Shadow Claw!" Jeremiah ordered.

Bisharp jumped into the air as its lower arm suddenly became enveloped in a dark-purple aura. It then came down towards Gallade in order to strike at it.

"Gallade, look out!" Gavin yelled.

Gallade tried to jump out of the way, but Bisharp managed to hit it on his right arm.

"Lade!" Gallade cried out in pain, clutching its right arm.

"Gallade, no!" Gavin said worriedly. Gallade panted heavily as he stood there holding his arm while Bisharp jumped back to its position in front of Jeremiah.

* * *

><p>"What's wrong with Gallade?" Dawn asked in a concerned tone.<p>

"Bisharp used Shadow Claw on it," Brock said, looking worried. "Shadow Claw's a Ghost-type attack, which is one of Gallade's weaknesses. Jeremiah must have known to hit Gallade in the place that Gallade uses to attack."

"What'll Gavin do?" May inquired of Ash.

"I don't know," Ash admitted. "Bisharp can't be hit by Psycho Cut, and it has amazing defense. It's really weak against Fighting-type attacks, but Gallade can't really hit it unless it can get in close range."

* * *

><p>Jeremiah then held out his Wonder Launcher and said, "Dire Hit 3, Go!"<p>

Then, a small, orange disc with a number 3 on it shot out of Jeremiah's Wonder Launcher and went to Bisharp. It caused Bisharp to glow bright orange for a few seconds, and then, went the glowing stopped, Bisharp looked deadlier.

"Now, Bisharp, use Iron Head!" Jeremiah yelled.

The double-headed axe blade on Bisharp's head turned to iron. It then jumped into the air and started heading with its head towards Gallade, ready to headbutt it.

Gallade looked like it was trying to move, but couldn't. It was frozen in fear.

"Oh, no! Gallade's to hurt and scared to move!" Tracey said in a shocked tone.

"It's going to get seriously hurt!" Misty yelled in fear.

As Bisharp continued to head for Gallade, thoughts of panic ran through Gavin's head rapidly.

'_What am I going to do?_' Gavin thought as Bisharp got closer and closer. '_Gallade's hurt and there's nothing I can do!_'

Then, Bisharp made impact. It knocked Gallade to the ground. Gallade struggled to get up, flinching at the pain the Iron Head had given him. Bisharp stood over Gallade menacingly.

"Now, Bisharp! Let's finish it off with Night Slash!" Jeremiah said to his Pokémon.

Both of Bisharp's blades on its forearms began to glow in a sinister-looking red aura. It raised them both, ready to strike the Blade Pokémon down.

'_There's nothing I can do!_' Gavin's thoughts practically yelled in panic. '_Gallade can't move and Bisharp's about to hurt it!_'

Gavin looked down and said to himself, "Maybe I'm not cut out for this battling thing. Maybe, I'm a failure."

"Gavin, don't think that!" A voice yelled from the side.

* * *

><p>Everyone looked towards the source of that voice and saw Dawn looking very irritated for some reason. Bisharp and Gallade even stopped and looked at her.<p>

"You're not a failure!" Dawn shouted angrily. "You're probably one of the best battlers that I've ever seen! And what's more, you're nice to your Pokémon and treat them well! You work together and understand each other! From all of the battles I've seen you in, you've never given up and now's not a time to start! You can do it!"

"Yeah, you can win, Gavin!" Ash yelled.

"We believe in you!" May cheered.

"Take that Bisharp down!" Meowth said, jumping up and down.

"Pika pika chu!" Pikachu yelled, jumping with Meowth. ("Gallade, you can win!")

* * *

><p>With all of his friends cheering for him on the side, Gavin thought, '<em>They believe in me! Maybe I can do this!<em>'

"Pi-chu!" Pichu said, arm-thrusting to its trainer, telling Gavin that it believe in him.

"Vee!" Eevee added, showing that it thought the same as Pichu and the others.

Gavin thought back to all of the battles that he had been in in the past. He had worked together with his Pokémon, and together, they had accomplished great things. Win or lose, he and his Pokémon had never given up, ever.

Gallade, being able to feel his trainer's burning passion inside of him, began to stand up and let go of his now-stronger arm. He had never felt this strong before. Bisharp began to look a bit frightened at the expression on Gallade's face.

'_Still, Bisharp's Iron Head attack made Gallade flinch…,_' a grin appeared on Gavin's face. '_It made it flinch! That's it!_'

Gavin then put his right hand on the sunglasses that he wore on his head and said, "Dawn's right! I've never given up before! And I'm not going to start now!"

Gavin then pulled the shades over his eyes. As they went over his eyes, a streak of light shined on the lenses. He looked like a completely different person. It was like he had to use the sunglasses in order to control the passion burning in his brown eyes.

"I…WILL…NOT…LOSE! Gallade, use Signal Beam!" Gavin yelled.

"Ga-lade!" Gallade yelled as the red horns on his body suddenly glowed light purple. Then, a rainbow-colored ball formed in front of the horn on the front of his body and Gallade quickly fired a rainbow-colored beam of light from the ball at Bisharp.

"Sharp!" Bisharp said in surprise at the speed of Gallade's attack. It was then knocked back to its side of the deck.

"How did Gallade attack so fast?" Jeremiah said, stunned.

"You activated his ability," Gavin said with a smile. "You see, when Bisharp use Iron Head on Gallade, you made him flinch, which, in turn, activated his Steadfast ability.

"You see, Steadfast is an ability where if you make the Pokémon with this ability flinch, its Speed increases. And now, it's time to gain some ground back in this battle. Gallade, use Swords Dance!"

Gallade's forearms began to glow bright purple and the backs grew longer. He then moved around in a sort of dance before finally striking a battle pose.

"Now, use Psycho Cut!" Gavin yelled.

The color of Gallade's glowing forearms changed from purple to light blue. He then swung his arms repeatedly, firing several light blue rings of energy at Bisharp.

As the attack came towards Bisharp, Jeremiah laughed and said, "I thought that we had been over this, my friend! You can't hit Bisharp with Psychic-type attacks!"

"Yeah," Gavin said with a smirk, "But I can hit it with Fighting-type moves!"

"What!" Jeremiah said in shock.

Gavin held out his Wonder Launcher, aimed it at Gallade, and said, "X Attack 6, Go!"

A small, red disc with a number 6 on it shot out at Gallade, causing it to glow in a red aura. After the glowing disappeared, it was clear that the X Attack 6 disc combined with the Swords Dance had powered Gallade up.

"Use Vacuum Wave!" Gavin ordered.

Gallade jumped into the air and span around, creating a cyclone, and then, he sent it towards Bisharp and the Psycho Cut attack. The two attacks combined, creating a light blue tornado of Psychic-and-Fighting-type energy. It hit Bisharp, causing it a lot of damage.

"Now, use Close Combat!" Gavin commanded.

Gallade ran towards the injured Bisharp with its forearms extended into blades.

"No!" Jeremiah said in panic. "Bisharp, use Night Slash!"

Bisharp's blades began glowing red, and it was about to strike, but Gallade was quicker, beginning to strike at Bisharp repeatedly with its blades over and over again.

"Now, finish it off with Leaf Blade!" Gavin yelled.

"Bisharp, use Metal Claw!" Jeremiah shouted.

One of Gallade's blades began glowing light green, while one of Bisharp's arms turned to iron. They both struck their arms at each other, causing an explosion of black smoke.

As the smoke cleared, everyone could see that the two were still standing, both breathing heavily. Gallade and Bisharp looked at each other and grinned. Suddenly, however, Bisharp winced and fell to the deck, swirls appearing in its eyes.

"Bisharp is unable to battle!" Cpt. Briney announced to the watching crowd. "Gallade is the winner! The victory goes to Gavin!"

* * *

><p>As everyone cheered, Gavin took off his sunglasses and put them on top of his head. He then walked over to Gallade and said, "Thank you, Gallade. Thank you for winning this battle."<p>

"Lade!" Gallade said with a smile. Gavin then took out Gallade's Pokéball and put him back in it. All of the sudden, Gavin was knocked off balance by a powerful force that gripped him tightly. He then looked down and saw that it was Dawn hugging him.

"I knew that you could do it! I just knew it!" Dawn said, happily holding on to the trainer with her head on his chest. Gavin smiled at the blue-haired coordinator.

"I couldn't have done it without you," Gavin admitted. "If you hadn't broken me out of that funk with your yelling, I might have actually lost."

Dawn looked up at Gavin with surprise in her eyes. The two began leaning in towards each other when they suddenly heard someone clear their throat beside them.

They both looked and saw all of their friends smiling at them. Gavin and Dawn couldn't be any more redder, quickly letting go of each other. Dawn began twiddling her fingers while Gavin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Don't mind us," Brock said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, we're just enjoying the show," Tracey said, laughing.

"No reason to stop," Gary said with a large smirk on his face.

"I wouldn't laugh if I were you three," Misty said, clearly irritated. "With the exception of Ash and Gavin, the rest of you guys aren't even close to getting a girl!"

In just a few seconds, everyone saw Brock, Tracey, and Gary sulking in the corner. Everyone else laughed.

* * *

><p>Then, Mr. Briney and Jeremiah walked up to those of the group that were not sulking in the corner.<p>

"Gavin, it is my privilege as the captain of this ship to give you your prize for winning the Captain's Challenge," Cpt. Briney said, pulling a large object out from behind his back.

It was a glass dome with a large egg inside of it. The egg was dark green with pale white splotches all over it. At the top of the case was the golden Pokéball.

"Your prize is this egg that we found on one of our recent voyages," Cpt. Briney explained. "From what we can tell, it's the egg to a really rare Pokémon, but we're not sure what it is."

"Thank you, Cpt. Briney," Gavin said to the captain, who nodded.

Gavin then turned to Dawn, held out the egg case and said, "Here. We both won it. I want you to have it."

However, Dawn pushed the egg back towards him.

"Gavin, _you _won the battle, not me," Dawn said, smiling at the trainer. "It's yours."

Gavin then felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Jeremiah with a smile on his face and Mimi the Murkrow on his shoulder.

"Thank you for the amazing battle, Gavin," Jeremiah said as he pet Mimi on her head. "I learned something today. No matter how strong you are, love conquers all!"

"Uh, okay?" Gavin said with a confused expression on his face. The girls giggled when they saw that Ash had the same expression on his face.

"I guess their eye color isn't the only thing they share," Misty said with a snicker.

"Hey, guys, look!" They all suddenly heard Max yell.

"Hurry!" Meowth shouted.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu echoed.

Everyone ran to the front of the boat and found Max, Meowth, Pikachu, Piplup, Pichu, and Eevee all looking towards something in the distance.

"Look, it's the Amaro Region!" May said upon realization.

"Awesome!" Ash said with excitement building inside of him. Soon, they would be in the Amaro Region, where new battles, new friends, and new adventures await!

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a shadowy figure stood on a building overlooking a large city. The figure was looking down and watching as people walked around the streets to different destinations.<p>

"They walk around in a multitude of lights, thinking that they are safe from the shadows," the figure said in a deep and sinister voice.

An evil smirk appeared on his face as he said, "They have no idea how wrong they are."

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 11: "Arrival in a New Region! Amaro Adventure Begin!"<span>_- Ash and the others have finally arrived in the Amaro Region! What will happen as they explore the first town of the region, meet up with the region's professor, and run into some old friends? Find out in the next installment of Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**Awesome battle, Gavin! I wonder what the new region is like? And who is the mysterious figure? Hopefully, answers will come soon! Read & Review!  
><strong>

**Thank you's: Thank you to all of those who have given me so many hits, those who have made this story on of their Favorites, those who have put it on Story Alert, those who have reviewed, and to everyone who has read it so far!**

**And a very special thanks to Ischys, who put me in his Author Spotlight in his story, "Finding Iris!" Thanks and readers, read his stories: "Lost in You," "Finding Iris," and his newest story, "Seemed Harmless!"**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey, here's Chapter 11! By the way, for those who keep up with the Pokemon Best Wishes Series in Japan, I have found a way to make the Meowth part of story make sense again! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 11: "Arrival in a New Region! Amaro Adventure Begin!"_

The Amaro Region. A place where the best of the best go to face the ultimate battles. A place where new adventures wait to be experienced.

When trainers come from other regions to start their journeys through this ultimate region, they begin in Begonda Town. This town is where Ash and his friends are beginning their journey through Amaro.

* * *

><p>Ash and the others looked all around them as they walked through the small town of Amaro. It was a bit bigger than the towns that they were used to, but it wasn't big enough by far to be called a city.<p>

The nine trainers didn't really walk all huddled up in a group. At the front, one could see Ash and May walking together with Pikachu on Ash's shoulder. Right behind them, you had Gavin, Brock, Max, and Dawn walking close together. Pichu sat on Gavin's right shoulder while Eevee sat on the left one. In Gavin's arms, he held a glass case that held within it a dark green egg with pale white splotches all over it. Dawn held Piplup in her arms as she looked around at all of the sights. In the back, Gary and Tracey could be seen on either side of Misty, who held Azurill in her arms.

They passed several buildings as they walked down the street towards their destination: The lab of Professor Oak's colleague, Professor Redwood.

Before they had left for the Amaro Region, Prof. Oak had told them about Prof. Redwood and how the Amaro Professor was a specialist in the study of the relationship between Pokémon and humans in battles, contests, and their relationship in general. It was he who would be able to give them more information on the Amaro Region.

Soon enough, they had arrived at the laboratory. It was a large, white building with large amounts of tech on the walls and roof, including a large satellite dish on the roof.

They walked up the cobblestone path to the door. Ash knocked three times on the wooden door. A few seconds later, the door was opened and they saw the professor immediately.

He was a tall man with a young-looking face, piercing gray eyes, short blonde hair, and had a tan similar to the one Ash would get after a little while on his journeys. He wore a white lab coat like the other professors, a black T-shirt, khaki pants, and dark brown boots similar to a cowboy's. He looked to be about twenty-five. If one would looked carefully, they could see that the three females of the group were staring intently at the man.

"Hey there," He said with a large smile. "You must be the trainers Professor Oak was telling me about the other day over the video-phone."

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "I'm Ash, and this is Pikachu."

"Pika!" Pikachu said upon introduction.

"And I'm May," May said as she held onto Ash's arm.

"I'm her brother, Max," Max quickly interjected.

"My name's Dawn, and this is Piplup," Dawn said with a smile.

"Plup!" Piplup said proudly.

"I'm Gavin, and this is Pichu, Eevee, and…well, we don't know who this is yet," Gavin said as he indicated himself, the two Pokémon on his shoulders, and the egg.

"Pi-chu!" Pichu waved.

"Vee!" Eevee said, happily rubbing up against Gavin's head.

At that point, if you looked closely, it was almost like the egg had slightly wiggled, as if it was saying hello.

"Meowth, that's me!" Meowth said with a grin.

"A talking Meowth? So, it's true!" Prof. Redwood said with an expression of awe at the Scratch Cat Pokémon. "Prof. Oak told me about this, but it's still amazing to see one talk in person!"

Meowth beamed at the professor after hearing the compliment.

After the other four and Misty's Azurill introduced themselves, the professor smiled and said, "Well, it's nice to meet you all. I'm Professor Redwood, and I…"

Suddenly, the group and the professor heard what sounded like a mechanical bird chirping. Then, in what looked like a Teleport, a floating, red-and-blue hummingbird-like creature appeared next to the professor. It had a floating, red-colored head that was detached from its body with a rounded, blue-colored bill and yellow eyes with a dartboard-like pattern in them. It had blue, wing-like legs, a red body with a blue stripe going across it horizontally, and a plump, blue tail.

"Oh, yeah," Prof. Redwood said, smirking at the Pokémon floating beside him, "Everyone, this is my lab partner, Porygon-Z. He helps me with my work in the lab."

"Zee!" Porygon-Z said happily as it did a back-flip in the air. It then began flying around the kids and the Pokémon, acting like it was scanning them or something.

"Porygon-Z," Dawn repeated as she took out her Pokédex to look up info on the professor's Pokémon.

"_Porygon-Z,_" It said in what sounded like a female's voice, "_The Virtual Pok__é__mon. The evolved form of Porygon2, and the final form of Porygon. It was given new programming in order for it to travel through alien dimensions. However, after receiving the upgrades, it began acting strangely._"

"Wow! A virtual Pokémon!" Max said with wonderment in his eyes as he watched Porygon-Z fly around his head.

"Why don't you all come in?" Prof. Redwood said, gesturing towards the door.

* * *

><p>Before going inside, Ash and the others let all of their Pokémon out to go and play in the fields surrounding the laboratory.<p>

Some of the Pokémon, such as Charizard, decided to use this free time to nap. Blaziken and a few of the others went to train. Pikachu and few of the smaller Pokémon opted for a game of tag.

After a few minutes of decision, they ended up choosing Weavile, who had just recently gotten back to Gavin's party, as the first to be "it." Weavile reluctantly began to count while the others began to hide.

Pikachu climbed up into a tree and hid himself among the branches. He soon found, however, he wasn't the only one up there.

(_Note: For this part of the chapter, I will translate what the Pok__é__mon say using italicized words. Meowth will have regular words as he actually speaks human._)

"_Meowth, what're you doing up here?_" Pikachu asked the talking Scratch Cat Pokémon.

"Huh?" Meowth said, noticing his friend for the first time. "Oh, hey, Pikachu. I'm just thinking."

"_About what?_" Pikachu inquired, now interested.

"Well, it's just that, everyone's being so nice to me, even after all of the bad things I did," Meowth said grimly. "Especially in Unova."

"_Stop beating yourself up about that,_" Pikachu said to his friend. "_We forgave you for all the things that you did!_"

"Yeah, but I lied to you guys about being fired, betrayed you, and caused you all so much trouble and pain!" Meowth said, angry at himself.

"_And yet, you later had the guts to quit Team Rocket,_" Pikachu said, reassuringly patting his friend on the back.

"Yeah, I guess," Meowth said, thinking back to the events that had led him to join Ash for the second time.

* * *

><p>(Flashback to Ash's Unova Journey, a couple months after the Battle Subway incident)<p>

_ Meowth sat and watched with guilt and sorrow in his eyes at the sight of Ash, Pikachu, Iris, Cilan, and Axew tied up, their mouths taped shut, and locked up in a cage. The kids were situated in front of his boss, the leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni. _

_ "So, these are the kids that brought about the end of Team Plasma," Giovanni said with a smirk. _

_ "Yes, sir," Jessie said with a salute to the leader of Team Rocket._

_ "The boy with the cap was able to defeat N's Zekrom with the help of Reshiram, sir," James added._

_ "And you say that this boy also helped bring down Team Galactic, Team Magma, and Team Aqua?" Giovanni asked._

_ "Yes, sir," The two humans nodded. Meowth looked uneasy as Pikachu stared at him angrily. _

_ "Well, I must say," Giovanni said, turning to Ash. "Those are some impressive feats for a trainer so young. I understand now why Jessie, James, and Meowth here followed you for so long._

_ "Now, while I am grateful for the help to beat my rival teams, I kill you now, as you have also interfered with Team Rocket's plans for world domination."_

_ '_What!' _Meowth thought in panic at his boss's words. He then spoke up and asked, "Is it really necessary to kill 'em, Boss?"_

_ Giovanni glared at the talking Pok__é__mon and replied, "Yes, you imbecile! Once we get rid of these three, our plans can go further!"_

_ "What about the twerp's other friends and Pok__é__mon?" Jessie asked._

_ "We'll find them and kill them as well," Giovanni replied with a smirk. "Since you three know so much about them, it shouldn't be too hard to find them."_

_ Meowth saw Ash's eyes open wide with fear once these words were said. Meowth knew how he felt. If something bad was going to happen to his friends, he would be scared, too. _

_ Then, Meowth looked at Jessie and James and how they felt no emotion at the thought of murder, especially to kids. _

'Are they even my friends anymore?' _Meowth pondered. _'We used to have more fun together, but ever since we went to Unova, they've changed.'

_Meowth looked over at Ash and Pikachu. They had caused him so much pain from electrical shocks, fire attacks, and more throughout the years, but when he pretended to have been fired from Team Rocket, they had immediately helped and trusted him. No one else had shown him that kind of love and friendship before._

_ He looked back at Jessie and James. He decided that they were still his friends deep down, but right now, there was more evil in them than he could stand. And if he didn't act now, Ash and his friends would all be killed. He made his choice._

_ "Fury Swipes!" Meowth yelled as he jumped at Giovanni and scratched him in the face with his sharp claws. Everyone's eyes widened in shock._

_ "What are you doing, you buffoon?" Giovanni said as he winced in pain._

_ "Doin' the right thing," Meowth replied. "I've seen a lot o' evil while bein' with Team Rocket through the years, but you've gone too far this time!"_

_ Meowth went over to Giovanni's desk and grabbed the remote to the cage that Ash and the others were in. He pushed a button and with a BZZZ sound, the cage was unlocked and the cage door flew open. _

_ "Meowth!" Jessie shrieked as the Scratch Cat Pok__é__mon ran in and cut off the ropes around Ash, Pikachu, Iris, Cilan, and Axew with another Fury Swipes attack._

_ "You traitor!" James yelled. _

_ "Yor callin' me a traitor!" Meowth responded furiously. "Do you mean to tell me that yor just gonna to let da Boss kill innocent kids?"_

_ "Yes, and if you don't agree with us, then you're dead to us!" Jessie and James said together. Then, the Team Rocket duo each took a Pok__é__ball in hand and sent out Swoobat and Cofagrigus._

_ "Swoobat, use Air Slash on that deserter!" Jessie ordered._

_ "Cofagrigus, use Shadow Ball on that turncoat!" James instructed. _

_ Just as the two Pok__é__mon were charging up their attacks, Ash ripped the tape off of his mouth and shouted, "Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"_

_ "Piiiika, Pi-ka!" Pikachu said as he charged up an electrical orb on its tail and then threw it at Jessie and James' Pok__é__mon. Swoobat and Cofagrigus were hit and knocked down to the ground. _

_ "You little brats," Giovanni growled. He then took out a Pok__é__ball and threw into the air. _

_In a flash of blue light, a large terracotta-colored crocodile with gray stripes, large teeth and claws, a bandit's mask-like black area around its eyes, and a periwinkle-colored belly. The Pok__é__mon growled menacingly. _

"_Krookodile, use Dragon Claw!" Giovanni yelled angrily. _

_Krookodile's claws began to glow light blue and then it began running at the kids, ready to slash them._

"_You call them things claws?" Meowth said with a sneer. "I'll show you real claws! Fury Swipes, full power!"_

_Meowth then jumped at the Intimidation Pok__é__mon, its claws sharper than ever, and scratched Krookodile. Krookodile looked like it was in a lot of pain, and it then fell flat on its face, its eyes now swirls._

"_Meowth! You're fired!" Giovanni yelled. _

"_Oh, yeah? So's yor base!" Meowth said with a sneer. He then pushed a button on the remote, activating the base's self-destruct function. A timer began counting down. They had approximately ten minutes to get out of there alive. _

_He then turned to Ash and the others and yelled, "Let's go! This place gonna go up in smoke in ten minutes!"_

_They all then ran out of the base as quickly as they could while all of the Team Rocket members ran to the escape pods. _

_After they got to a safe distance, Ash and the others watched as the base blew up. _

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>"<em>You see?" <em>Pikachu said encouragingly. "_A bad guy wouldn't be able to do all of that! A good guy probably wouldn't have gone to those extremes, but you still did some good."_

"Yeah, you're right," Meowth sighed with a smile. "So, what are you guys playing anyways?"

"_Tag,_" Pikachu said, now remembering why he had come up into the tree in the first place. He looked through the branches for any sign of a chase. "_Weavile was 'it' when I came up here, but I don't know who 'it' is now._"

"_Run, everybody!_" Pikachu and Meowth heard Piplup yell in panic. "_Charizard's awake and now he's it!_"

Pikachu and Meowth both looked at each other with frightened expressions.

_"Zap!_" Pikachu said as they both quickly went to get out of the tree.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Ash and the others were getting info on the Amaro Region from Prof. Redwood. They had already learned that the region had eight gyms like the other regions, and once you got all eight, you qualified to participate in the Amaro League Conference tournament; the contests were team-style, as in two people would do performances and contest battles together as a team; and that there were no new Pokémon there, but you could find every kind of Pokémon that could be seen in the other five regions in Amaro.<p>

After hearing all of this information, the group spilt up into smaller subgroups in order to enjoy different activities. Ash, May, Gavin, and Dawn had seen a poster for a fair that was in town, so the four of them were going to go and check it out. Misty, Brock, and Max were all going to go and eat at a restaurant that they had heard about. Gary and Tracey were going to stay at the lab with Prof. Redwood to see some of his research. The Pokémon were all going to stay at the lab for a little bit. At that, they all went to enjoy their activities.

"Come on, guys!" May and Dawn yelled as they ran to where a crowd was gathered to purchase tickets. Ash and Gavin sighed.

"Even if we have fun, I have a feeling that our wallets are going to be a lot lighter at the end of the day," Ash whispered to Gavin, who nodded in agreement.

After buying the tickets, the four went into the fairgrounds. Their eyes widened at the sight of all of the rides, booths, and food stands that were there.

"Ash, let's go on the Ferris Wheel!" May said suddenly. She then grabbed Ash's wrist and dragged him towards the behemoth wheel.

"See you guys later!" The couple yelled back at Gavin and Dawn.

Gavin looked at Dawn and asked, "Is it me, or are they ditching us on purpose?"

Dawn smirked and replied, "Let's just not do anything that they could make fun of us for later."

The two then started to make their way towards some of the game booths.

* * *

><p>"Ash, what's wrong?" May inquired of her now green-faced boyfriend. "You sick or something?"<p>

Ash pulled himself back into the carriage and said, "Let's just say that I've never been so good with heights."

May raised an eyebrow and asked, "Ash, how can you be afraid of heights? You ridden on the backs of Charizard, Pidgeot, a Flygon, a Dragonite, and from what I heard, a Giratina."

"I don't mind flying," Ash retorted, "and I can stand heights to a point. Let's just say that I had a bad experience at the Nimbasa City Ferris Wheel back in Unova."

"Well," May said with a smile, "we could hold onto each other to _make you feel safer_."

Ash caught the hint. He then wrapped his arm around her and May lay onto his side. Ash instantly felt better.

Ash looked over at May and said, "I love you, May."

"I love you, too, Ash," May said, her eyes sparkling.

What the couple didn't realize was that they were being watched by a two pairs of eyes: one pair colored emerald and one pair colored blue-green.

* * *

><p>At the time, Gavin and Dawn were walking past all of the many booths of the fair when they suddenly heard a voice say, "Hey, Dawn! Nice to see you again!"<p>

They turned around to see a familiar-looking spiky-haired redhead with sunglasses on her head.

"Zoey!" Dawn exclaimed as she embraced her longtime rival and friend. "It's good to see you!"

"It's good to see you, too, Dawn!" Zoey said as they broke the hug. "Here for the Amaro Contests, too, huh?"

"Yeah," Dawn replied with a grin. "I'm teaming up with May in the contests."

"Cool, so she's here, too?" Zoey asked.

"Uh-huh," Dawn nodded. "Along with Brock, her little brother, Max, a few of her other friends from the Kanto Region. Plus, her new boyfriend, Ash."

"Ash is her boyfriend!" Zoey said in surprise. She then looked over at Gavin and smirked. "So, you never introduced me to your friend. Is he your 'boyfriend'?"

"WHAT!" Dawn and Gavin yelled in unison. They both looked at each other and turned a deep red.

"I guess not," Zoey said with a grin.

Dawn then introduced Gavin and told Zoey about how he was Ash's cousin and he was traveling with them through the Amaro Region.

"So who's your partner?" Dawn asked.

"Someone I met in the Hoenn Region," Zoey answered. "I met him LaRousse City. I'm currently traveling with him and Kenny, but we also ran into some friends of Kenny's on the boat ride here. You ever heard of Barry and Conway?"

"Oh, yeah," Dawn said, shuddering at memory of Conway. "So, where is your friend?"

"He said he had to meet with two coordinator friends of his," Zoey explained.

Suddenly, Kenny, Barry, and Conway came around the corner, but froze when they saw Dawn and Gavin.

"DAWN!" Kenny said when he saw Gavin.

"Kenny!" Dawn said in surprise.

* * *

><p>Misty, Brock, and Max were walking back to the lab when all of the sudden, Brock saw a familiar, purple-haired trainer walking towards them.<p>

"Hey, there," He said with a smirk. "Since you're here, you couldn't tell me where Ash is, could you? We have some…unfinished business."

"Paul?" Brock said, his, Misty's, and Max's faces all showing shock and surprise.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 12: "Begonda Town, A Battlefield For Rivals?"<span>_- It seems that Ash and the others have met up with a bunch of rivals in Amaro. Now, Ash has been challenged to a triple battle by Paul! How will Ash handle this? Find out in the next episode of Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**Rivals here and there! What's going to happen next? Find out in the next chapter! Read & Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey, guys! New Chapter! Took a bit longer to think up, but I think that the results were pretty good! Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 12: "Begonda Town, A Battlefield For Rivals?"_

Ash and May were happily getting off of the Ferris wheel together, Ash with his arm around May, when they suddenly saw two all-too-familiar faces. One was a boy around Ash's height with green hair and green eyes, wearing a purple, long-sleeved jacket, a black inner shirt, light blue jeans, and black sneakers. The other that stood beside him looked to be a bit taller than Brock, with long purple hair and blue-green eyes, wearing clothes that probably wouldn't be worn by a normal guy that resembled a Cacturne.

"Well, well, if it isn't little May and her favorite boy-toy!" Harley, May's rival from Slateport City, said with his creepy and annoying sing-song voice.

Ash and May both blushed at this remark while Drew was glaring daggers at Ash. Ash picked up on this and glared angrily back, putting himself in front of May to protect her.

"So Ketchum, what's it like to lose in the final round of the Unova League?" Drew said curtly with a sneer plain on his face.

Ash wanted to run and tackle Drew in anger, but May was holding him back.

"Don't do it, Ash!" May said calmly. "Don't let him get to you!"

Ash looked at May, his expression softening, he then turn to Drew and said, grinning, "Not bad. I may have lost the battle, but I won a beautiful girl."

May smiled lovingly at Ash, which caused Drew to turn red in anger and jealousy. Then, his face turned back to its normal color, turning back into a sneer.

"Well, at least I won my championship! I even beat your pathetic coordinator girlfriend there!" Drew retorted.

Now it was May's turn to try and run at him. Luckily, Ash was able to hold her back.

"Calm down, May," Ash said to her. "Like you said, 'don't let him get to you!'"

"Ooooh, the girl's got a temper!" Harley chuckled. "You won't win the Amaro contests like that!"

"Shut it, Harley!" May yelled furiously. She looked like she was about to explode when all of the sudden, a group of people ran up.

"Looks like we have company!" Harley said as he noticed the people coming up to them.

"Drew? Ash? May?" Zoey said in surprise. "What's going on?"

"I was just talking to some old friends," Drew answered.

"Wait, Zoey, how do you know Drew?" Ash asked.

"I met him in Hoenn," Zoey replied. "He's my partner for the Amaro contests."

"WHAT!" Ash and May exclaimed. Even Dawn looked surprised.

"Ash, hey!" Barry suddenly yelled. He ran up to the raven-haired trainer. "I'm gonna have to fine you after how long it's been!"

"Hey, Barry, it's great to see you, too," Ash said to his Sinnoh rival. "Same to you, Conway, Kenny, and Zoey!"

"Thank you, Ash," Conway said with a bit of a creepy voice.

Kenny, however, just grunted, continuing to stare jealously at Gavin, who was standing next to Dawn. Gavin just stood there, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the jealous coordinator.

Dawn noticed this, and yelled irritably, "Oh, give it a rest, Kenny! I told you, Gavin's not my boyfriend!"

"Whatever you say, _Dee Dee_," They heard a female voice say nearby. Suddenly, everyone saw two girls walking up to them.

One was about the same height as Dawn with peach-colored hair, red eyes, wearing a turquoise dress and a white sweater with a lavender bow in the middle of her chest. The other was about the same height as Harley, with long pink hair and blue eyes, wearing an orange blouse, a red belt, a crimson skirt, and knee-high red boots with slightly longer black socks.

"Ursula?" Dawn said in shock.

"Hi, there, Solidad!" May said happily.

The two contrasts of emotion going on right now were quite astonishing. While May and Solidad happily greeted each other, Dawn and Ursula were staring at each other tensely. Suddenly, Ash's Pokédex began to ring.

"Hello?" He said as he answered it. When he saw the face of the caller, his eyes widened.

"Hey, there, Ketchum," Paul said with a smirk. "It's been a while."

* * *

><p>Later, everyone, including the rivals, was at Professor Redwood's lab. As Ash arrived, he saw his rival standing there, waiting for him.<p>

"So, Ketchum," Paul said as the raven-haired trainer walked up. "You ready?"

Ash nodded. Paul had surprisingly challenged Ash to a battle for the first time since Ash had first met him during his Sinnoh Journey. Now, the two rivals stood facing each other, ready for battle.

Professor Redwood was to be the referee of the battle. Ash and Paul had decided to have a triple battle to make things more interesting.

"This will be a triple battle!" Professor Redwood announced to people watching. "Each trainer will use three Pokémon each, all at the same time. When all three of one side's Pokémon are unable to battle, the other side will be the victor! Battlers, choose your Pokémon!"

"Magmortar, Torterra, and Electivire! All of you stand by for battle!" Paul yelled as he threw three Pokéballs into the air.

In a flash of light, a red-and-yellow, buffed-up duck/salamander humanoid creature with cannon-hands, a green-and-brown tortoise/ankylosaur creature with a tree on its back, and a yellow humanoid creature with black stripes and two black tails with red tips all appeared onto the grass. They all roared a battle-cry.

Ash smiled and thought, '_Wow, Paul's been training these three very well! Luckily, I was able to get some powerhouses of my own for this battle!_'

"Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard! I choose you!" Ash shouted as he threw three Pokéballs into the air.

Suddenly, the three Pokémon from his first journey all appeared onto the field. They all stood together, ready for battle.

* * *

><p>(Flashback)<p>

_Earlier, in Professor Redwood's lab, Ash made a call over the videophone back to Kanto._

"_Well, Ash, it's nice to see that you all made it to the Amaro Region!" Prof. Oak said with a smile as he answered Ash's call. _

_"Thanks, Professor," Ash said to the man at the other end of the video phone. "Hey, could you do me a favor?"_

_ "Sure, Ash, what is it?" Prof. Oak questioned the trainer._

"_Can you send me Ivysaur and Squirtle?" Ash asked._

_ "Sure, Ash, but why?" Prof. Oak inquired with a confused expression._

_ "Because I was challenged to a triple battle by an old rival from the Sinnoh Region," Ash explained. "And he's never seen the power of my original Pok__é__mon before."_

_ "Alright then, Ash, but you'll have to send me two Pok__é__mon in exchange," Prof. Oak answered._

_ "Okay, I'll send Haunter and Pupitar for right now," Ash said, making his decision._

_ Soon, after the exchange was made and the call ended, Ash looked at the two Pok__é__balls that he had just received, plus the one of his most powerful Fire-type and said, "Alright, guys. Let's win this!"_

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>"Wow, Ketchum, I never knew you had these Pokémon," Paul said, a bit impressed at sight of the Pokémon that stood in front of Ash.<p>

"These are from my original team," Ash said with a grin. "So, besides Pikachu, they're some of my most powerful."

"Even so," Paul said with a smirk, "I'm winning this battle!"

"Begin!" Professor Redwood yelled to the two competitors.

"Squirtle, use Water Gun! Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf! Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash commanded.

At his command, the three Kanto starters sent blasts of water, sharp leaves, and fire at their opponents.

Paul just sneered and said, "Magmortar, burn the leaves; Torterra, dry up the water; and Electivire, turn those flames into smoke!"

Magmortar then shot a stream of fire at Ivysaur's Razor Leaf attack, causing them to burn up and, eventually, turn to ash. The three mountain's on Torterra's back glowed green and then, a beam of glowing green energy shot out and wrapped around the blast of water, sucking it up and causing it to dissipate. Electivire fired a large blast of yellow electricity at the Flamethrower and caused it to explode into a cloud of black smoke.

Ash could feel a drop of sweat running down his face. As the black smoke cleared, Ash could see that Paul's Pokémon had taken care of his Pokémon's attacks easily. What would Paul do now?

"Torterra, use Stone Edge in the direction of Electivire!" Paul ordered.

"What!" Ash and some of the others yelled.

Three blue rings appeared and surrounded Torterra's body. The rings then turned white and formed into chunks of gray stones that still circled Torterra. Torterra's eyes then glowed green and the stones were shot towards Electivire.

"Now, Electivire, use Brick Break to hit the stones towards our opponents!" Paul instructed.

Electivire's forearms became surrounded by white sparks as the stones came closer. Then, when the stones came, Electivire gave them several swift karate chops that sent them flying towards Ash's Pokémon. The stones had now started sparkling like Electivire's forearms.

"Everyone, quick! Use Rapid Spin, Vine Whip, and Steel Wing to knock the rocks away!" Ash quickly yelled.

Squirtle then withdrew into its shell and began spinning at a high speed. Ivysaur's vines came from its back and it began waiting for the stone projectiles to come. Charizard's wings began to glow a metallic shine as it awaited Torterra's attack.

"Nice try, Ketchum. Magmortar, use Rock Tomb on the stones!" Paul said with a smirk.

Magmortar stuck out its arms and then fired several purple circles from its arm cannons at the stones from Torterra's attack. When the circles met the stones, they turned into stones as well, and projectiles started hurtling towards Ash's Pokémon at a faster speed. Squirtle and the others tried to block them, but the force and strength of the attack was too great. They were all knocked to the ground.

* * *

><p>"How did Paul do that!" Dawn both asked and exclaimed.<p>

"Well, he use Electivire's Brick Break to power up Torterra's Stone Edge attack," Brock explained. "Then, to catch Ash off-guard, he had Magmortar use Rock Tomb to increase the attack's speed, power, and mass. It was at that point too strong to block."

"I've got to admit, he's pretty good," Drew said, flicking his hand through his hair, "for a trainer."

* * *

><p>'<em>He's really gotten good!<em>' Ash thought as his Pokémon struggled to get back on their feet. '_But so have we!_'

"Squirtle, use Aqua Jet on Magmortar!" Ash commanded.

Squirtle's body became completely surrounded by water. Then, it rose into the air and started hurtling towards Magmortar.

"Electivire and Torterra! Knock that turtle out using Thunder and Leaf Storm!" Paul ordered.

Electivire sent a blast of yellow electricity from its antennas at the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. The leaves on Torterra's tree started to glow green, and then, it sent a cyclone of glowing leaves and wind in the same direction as Electivire's Thunder.

"Charizard, stop the attacks with Dragon Rage!" Ash yelled.

Charizard's eyes began to glow white and the flame on its tail grew bigger. A ball of fire was formed in its mouth and it then released the ball at the electricity and leaves, causing an explosion that wiped out the attacks.

Paul looked slightly surprised, thinking to himself, '_That Charizard of his is strong. I'll have to something about that._'

Squirtle then hit Magmortar with its watery tackle. Magmortar took a lot of damage, but remained standing.

"Magmortar, use Flamethrower on Squirtle before it gets away!" Paul yelled.

Magmortar then shot two streams of fire from its arm cannons at the surprised Squirtle, engulfing it in flames.

"Squirtle!" Ash yelled, panicked.

Squirtle was still standing, but it was covered in burns and bruises. It didn't look like it could take much more.

"Magmortar, hit it again!" Paul shouted.

"Ivysaur, quick! Save Squirtle with Vine Whip!" Ash quickly instructed.

Just as Magmortar was about to send another Flamethrower at the light blue-colored turtle, Ivysaur's vines came and wrapped around Squirtle. It then pulled it out of the way just in time to dodge the intense fire attack.

"Good job, Ivysaur!" Ash said gratefully.

"Squirt-le!" Squirtle said, thanking his best friend as he put him down.

"Saur!" Ivysaur replied with a smile.

* * *

><p>"Wow! Ivysaur saved Squirtle!" May said with a wide smile.<p>

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered from its spot in May's lap.

"It just goes to show you," Gavin said remarkably. "Nothing is more powerful than friendship."

"Except maybe love!" May, Misty, and Dawn all said together, surrounding the trainer.

Gavin, Pikachu, Pichu, Meowth, Piplup, Brock, Gary, Max, Barry, and Tracey all sweat dropped and looked very confused. Zoey and Solidad laughed, Ursula rolled her eyes, and Drew and Kenny glared at Ash and Gavin respectively.

"Don't worry, boys!" Harley said in that creepy high voice again. "You'll understand when you're older!"

Harley had once again made things awkward. Well, more so than they already were. Even Conway was bit creeped out by Harley. Luckily, Max saved the day.

"How would you know?" Max asked. "We're still not sure if you're a guy or a girl!"

Everyone laughed while Harley looked very steamed.

* * *

><p>"Electivire, use Shock Wave, and Torterra, use Stone Edge!" Paul yelled.<p>

Electivire then fired a beam of blue electricity at Charizard and Torterra fired chunks of stone at Squirtle. Ivysaur saw this and then knocked Squirtle out of the path of the projectiles, taking the attack itself. Charizard and Ivysaur both howled in pain.

"Charizard! Ivysaur!" Ash shouted with worry clearly in his voice.

"Squir-tle!" Squirtle cried, also expressing its fear for its buddies.

Charizard and Ivysaur were covered in cuts and bruises, but they both still managed to stand up.

'_What do I do?_' Ash thought as he saw his three heavily-damaged friends on the field. He knew he had to end this, but how? Then, an idea popped into his head, his eyes widening and a huge grin appearing on his face.

"Guys! Remember that move that we learned back in the forest just before our battle with Brandon?" Ash asked. The three nodded with grins equal to Ash's. They then stood up and faced their opponents.

"Alright, use Triple Finish!" Ash commanded.

"What!" Everybody, especially Paul exclaimed in complete and utter shock.

* * *

><p>"What's Triple Finish?" Max asked. Everybody but Pikachu shrugged. None of them had ever heard of that attack before. They all looked at Professor Redwood, who was grinning.<p>

"I've heard of it before, but I've never actually seen it," He said to answer their confused expressions. "It's a very high-level combination attack."

Pikachu nodded to everyone's surprise. Besides Ash and the other three, he had been the only one to witness this attack before.

* * *

><p>'<em>What's he doing?<em>' Paul thought, for some reason, feeling a fear that he had never felt before.

The three Pokémon lined up in a single-file line; Squirtle in the front, Ivysaur in the middle, and Charizard in the back. They then each shot an attack: Squirtle shot a large blast of water, Ivysaur shot a large white blast of solar-and-plant energy, and Charizard shot a large blast of intense fire. The three attacks intertwined to create a vortex of power. It hit Paul's three intimidated Pokémon, causing a huge explosion of black smoke.

When the smoke cleared, everyone saw that Paul's Pokémon had all been instantly knocked out.

"All three of Paul's Pokémon are unable to battle!" Prof. Redwood announced. "Ash's team is the winner! The victory goes to Ash!"

All three of Ash's Pokémon grinned but then fell to the ground, all now unconscious.

"Guys!" Ash yelled, running to them. Pikachu jumped from May's lap and ran to them as well.

Ash saw that the power of the attack had been too much at their weakened states, so he returned them to their Pokéballs and smiled.

"Thank you, guys!" Ash said happily. "You did awesome! I'll get you guys healed up as soon as I can!"

Ash then saw Paul return his Pokémon to their balls. Then, something strange appeared on Paul's face: a slight smile!

"Thank you," He muttered quietly. He then walked over to Ash and shook his hand.

"Thank you for the battle, Ash," Paul said so quietly that only Ash could hear. "You taught me something back in Sinnoh. I'm still going for power, but I'm not going to hurt my Pokémon like I did before."

"Great, Paul," Ash said just as quietly. "We'll have to battle again."

Paul nodded and then walked off. He then headed over the hill and disappeared from sight.

* * *

><p>Later, everyone else but the group of Ash and the others said good-bye and left as well. At that point, Ash and the others said good-night to the Professor and went to the Pokémon Center. Ash had Squirtle and Ivysaur healed and then sent them back to Professor Oak in exchange for Haunter and Pupitar. They all then ate dinner and after, went to their rooms to get some sleep. They had a long journey ahead of them starting tomorrow. For now, their Amaro Journey had truly begun.<p>

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 13: "Lost in the Begonda Forest! Lead the Way, Jeremiah!"<span>_- Ash and the others have started their journey from Begonda Town to the next city, when they get completely lost in the Begonda Forest, which is filled all kinds of attacking forest Pokémon! Luckily, they run into their old acquaintance, Jeremiah, who says that he knows the way! But can they trust him to lead them out of there? Stay tuned to find out!

**Yes! I got Triple Finish in it! And I was able to make fun of Harley a bit! I really don't like Harley very much. Anyways, hope you guys liked it! I'll be posting the Contest pairings on my profile page! Until next time! Read & Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 13: "Lost in the Begonda Forest! Lead the Way, Jeremiah!"_

"I can't believe we're lost already!" Misty said, slightly irritated at the one who had the Pokégear, Brock.

"We're not lost! Brock yelled back. "We're just not sure of where we are."

Brock looked fearfully at his angry and exhausted friends. They had earlier in the day started heading from Begonda Town to their next destination, Sinjeta City, for May and Dawn's first Contest. They were currently traveling in the maze-like Begonda Forest. At this point, however, they were completely lost and it was starting to get dark.

Ash sighed and said, "Well, we may as well find a place to set up camp for the night."

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded, as it lay on his trainer's shoulder.

"You said it!" Meowth said, holding onto Ash's leg because he was so tired.

Everyone agreed. After finding a clearing, they all began to prepare their campsite. Ash and Gary were in charge of pitching the tents, Brock was cooking their dinner, Max and Tracey went to get firewood, and May and Misty were getting some water.

"Gavin, Dawn, why don't you two see if you can find some berries for the food?" Brock suggested.

Gavin and Dawn looked uneasily at each other, but did as they were told.

* * *

><p>Later, after about twenty minutes of searching, the two finally found some Oran Berry bushes.<p>

"So, Gavin," Dawn said causally as they picked the berries and put them into the bag that Brock had given them. Gavin grunted to show that he was listening. "What Pokémon do you think is in that egg of yours?"

Gavin thought about the egg that he had gotten from Cpt. Briney for winning the Captain's challenge a few days ago. He had left it back at the campsite and had assigned Pikachu, Meowth, Piplup and the others to guard duty over the recently polished egg.

"I don't know," Gavin said as he continued to pluck the berries and put them into the bag. "It could be anything. But I'll love it no matter what it turns out to be."

"Pi-pi-chu!" Pichu said from his shoulder. Gavin grinned and began rubbing it under its chin.

Dawn smiled as she watched the trainer and his Pokémon getting along so well.

"You and Pichu get along just as good as Ash and Pikachu," She remarked.

"Yeah, but we didn't always get along this well," Gavin said as he stopped rubbing Pichu and got back to work.

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked curiously.

"Well, when Pichu and I first met, let's just say that we had an experience similar to Ash and Pikachu's first meeting," Gavin said as Pichu snickered at the memory.

* * *

><p>(Flashback)<p>

_When Gavin walked up to Professor Elm's laboratory, he could hear people talking frantically inside. He went to the door and gave it three hard knocks. The voices stopped and then, the door opened and Gavin was now face-to-face (Well, rather face-to-back) with an Officer Jenny._

_ "If you have any more information for us, Professor, just call me," She said to the trembling Professor in front of her. She then turned around and noticed the young boy._

_ "Excuse me," She said as she walked by him. After Gavin watched her walk to her motorcycle and drive away, Gavin turned back to the Professor, who had stopped trembling at that second._

_ "Hello, Gavin," The professor said sadly._

_ "Good morning, Professor," Gavin said, looking around the Professor at the damage and mess of papers that were all over the place. The entire place was in shambles. _

_ Gavin looked back at the Professor and asked, "What happened here?"_

_ "We had a break-in," Prof. Elm explained. "A boy with red hair broke in and stole one of the Starter Pok__é__mon that I had set out for you and the other two beginner trainers."_

_ "Which one?" Gavin asked expectantly._

_ "He stole the Totodile," Prof. Elm answered._

_ "What about the other two?" Gavin inquired, fearing the worst._

_ Professor Elm sighed, confirming Gavin's fears. _

_ "I'm sorry, Gavin, but Ethan and Kris were already here," Prof. Elm said solemnly. "They got Chikorita and Cyndaquil, and I was saving Totodile for you, but, as I already explained…"_

_ Gavin looked down sadly and thought, '_Could this really be happening? I don't get a Pokémon?_'_

_ "However…," Prof. Elm began, causing Gavin to look up hopefully, "We do have one Pok__é__mon here that I've been studying, but we've been having some problems with it."_

_ "It doesn't matter!" Gavin exclaimed loudly. "I'll take it!"_

_ Gavin and Prof. Elm then walked over to the table that had once held the starters that he had given away (or in the case of Totodile, stolen). On the table sat a single Pok__é__ball. Prof. Elm picked it up and handed it to Gavin. _

_ "Here you go, Gavin," Prof. Elm said as Gavin held it up to the light and admired it. _

_ "Alright then, let's see who my partner is! Pok__é__ball, Go!" Gavin shouted as he threw his new Pok__é__ball into the air. _

_ In a flash of bright yellow light, a small, pale yellow, mouse-like creature appeared on the table in front of him. It had large ears with black tips, black markings on its neck, a short, black tail sort of shaped like the beginning of a lightning bolt, pink cheeks, and an extremely small nose._

_ "Pi-chu!" It said with a high and squeaky voice. _

_ "Wow! What is it?" Gavin said as his face broke out in a large smile as he saw his new Pok__é__mon. _

_ "Its name is Pichu," Prof. Elm said, enlightening the young boy. _

_ "Awesome! It's so cute! It's got to be the best one!" Gavin said as he picked up the small Pok__é__mon. Pichu began glaring at the boy holding it, sparks crackling on its cheek._

_ "Piiiiiiiiichhhhuuu!" Pichu yelled as it sent yellow electricity from its cheeks at the new trainer._

_ "AHHHHHH!" Gavin howled in pain as electricity coursed through his body._

_ "Should I have mentioned that Pichu is also known as the Tiny Electric Mouse Pok__émon?" Prof. Elm asked._

_ As Pichu ceased its attack, Gavin stood there, his clothes smoking, and said, "Probably would have helped."_

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>"After that, it was a rough start for me and Pichu, but we eventually became great friends," Gavin said, smiling at his partner Pokémon, who smiled back.<p>

Dawn smiled and said, "Wow, great story. Well, I think we have enough…"

Then, all of the sudden, the three heard a roar from the bushes. Soon, a tall, brown, bear-like creature with sharp claws and teeth and a tan-colored ring on its belly stepped out of the foliage and roared at them.

"AHHHHHH! It's an Ursaring!" The three yelled in unison. They then ran off, accidently dropping the bag of berries.

The Ursaring just shrugged and then began eating the berries out of the bag that they had dropped.

* * *

><p>The next morning, as the sun started its rise into the sky, Gavin sat on a moss-covered rock in his daily morning meditation stance. At his side sat Pichu who was in the same position.<p>

As the two sat with their eyes closed, a figure walked over and sat on the ground next to the rock. He then uneasily got into the same position as Gavin and closed his eyes. He sat like that for about five seconds and then opened them again. He stood up and walked up to Gavin and asked, "What are we doing?"

"Meditating," Gavin said calmly, not really noticing the person. He was too focused on his meditation.

"Why?" The man inquired.

"To find inner peace," Gavin answered, still in his calm state, but a bit irritated at the interruptions.

"Wouldn't it be better to find a girl? Like maybe that blue-haired girl that you like?" The man questioned.

"What?" Gavin said, now completely confused. He then opened his eyes to see a man wearing a black hat and a black cloak in his face.

"Gyaahhhhh!" Gavin said, surprised. He was so surprised that he suddenly fell off the rock and hit the ground with his head.

When he was able to open his eyes again, he saw Jeremiah standing over him, asking, "Are you okay?"

"NO, I AM NOT OKAY!" Gavin yelled, his head growing big and angry, anime-style. His yelling, however, woke everyone up.

"Uhhhh," Ash said as he crawled out of his tent, his hair clearly still in its bed-head state.

"What's going on?" May asked as she and the other girls crawled out of their tent. Soon, everybody was up, now seeing that Gavin had a bump on his head with Jeremiah standing there.

"Hello again, my friends!" Jeremiah said with a slight wave and a smile.

Pichu snickered at his master's misfortune. Then, when it didn't notice, Mimi walked up behind it and squawked hello. Pichu was surprised and fell on to the ground and hit its head.

"Pi-chu-pi-chu-pi-chu," Pichu mumbled grumpily on the ground. ("I hate that Murkrow!")

* * *

><p>Later, as Dawn and May wrapped Gavin and Pichu's heads up, Jeremiah began talking with the others.<p>

"I'm sorry for the rude awakening," Jeremiah said as he looked uneasily at the angry Gavin and Pichu. "I didn't know that there were others here as well. Are you lost?"

"No…" Brock began to say before everyone yelled, "YES!"

Brock, at that point, went and sulked in front of a tree.

"We're trying to get to Sinjeta City, but we got lost last night in the dark," Tracey explained.

"Can you help us?" Misty asked.

"Yes, but I must warn you," Jeremiah nodded but then stared seriously at them. "There are many Pokémon in this forest that are likely to attack if we aren't careful. So, whatever you do, don't…"

They then saw Meowth walking out of the bushes with a sticky yellow substance on his mouth and paws.

"What?" He asked as everyone looked at him, Jeremiah's eyes widening in fear.

"Where did you get that honey?" Jeremiah quickly asked.

"I got it from a tree in the forest. Why?" Meowth inquired.

"Because the Ursaring in this forest love that stuff so much that they will attack anyone that eats it besides them!" Jeremiah shouted.

"Huh?" Everyone said, confused. Then, all of the sudden, they heard several loud roars, followed by a large group of Ursaring come out of the bushes behind Meowth. As Meowth looked at them in fear, the Hibernator Pokémon started to growl and opened their mouths, orange orbs forming in them.

"AHHHHHH!" Everyone screamed, knowing what was coming next. Luckily, they had already packed up everything because they all started to run away as fast as they could.

"WHY DOES EVERY URSARING KNOW HOW TO USE HYPER BEAM!" Max yelled as they all ran away as fast as they could, the orange blast of light in pursuit.

* * *

><p>Half-an-hour later, our heroes and Jeremiah found themselves completely lost once again, despite having lost the Ursaring.<p>

"Finally! We lost them!" Dawn said happily.

"Yeah, maybe now you can show us the way, Jeremiah!" May suggested.

"Ah, yes! Quite right! Let's go!" Jeremiah said as he suddenly whipped out a small, blue, monkey-like puppet. Everyone looked confused at the sight of another puppet.

"Remember!" Jeremiah said before going into a sage-like voice, "_The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step!_"

He then ran off, leaving the group standing there, very confused. They shook their heads and then ran off after the man in the black cloak.

* * *

><p>Later, after what seemed like hours, the group stepped out of a patch of bushes.<p>

"Well, we're here!" Jeremiah announced in a sing-song voice to the group of teens.

The group looked around expectantly, but only saw a clearing that looked strangely familiar…

"Wait a minute!" Misty yelled. "This is the same place that we stared from!"

"What's wrong? You asked me the show you the way," Jeremiah said to them, causing them to glare angrily at him.

"THE WAY OUT OF HERE!" Misty and the other girls yelled as their heads grew anime huge, putting fear into the man.

"Ohhhh," Jeremiah said sheepishly. "Well, then it's this way."

They were about to walk the way in which he pointed, when all of the sudden, a swarm of Beedrill appeared, angry at the girls for waking them up.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Everyone yelled as they ran away from the oncoming Bug Pokémon that had their stingers ready.

"WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO US!" Dawn screamed as they sped up their pace.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, they found themselves back in the clearing that they started from.<p>

"Jeremiah, do you even know the way out of this forest?" Gavin asked.

"Uh, no," Jeremiah said, rubbing the back of his head.

The teens and Pokémon fell to the ground, anime-style.

"But I'm sure I'll figure it out soon enough!" Jeremiah said, trying to cheer them up. "As long as we don't run into anymore…"

They then heard a several loud roars and a buzzing sound. Suddenly, the group of Ursaring and the swarm of Beedrill appeared.

The group all screamed as they were surrounded by the angry forest Pokémon. They started to back up until they felt their backs touched up against a solid object.

They turned around and saw that it was the moss-covered rock from earlier. They turned back towards the Pokémon, who looked ready to attack.

"Pika-pika-chu-pika!" Pikachu yelled at Meowth. ("This is all of your fault, Meowth!")

"Hey, I did-int know dat I wasn't supposed ta eat dat honey!" Meowth shouted back.

"Well, if anything, this is all Jeremiah's fault!" Misty yelled angrily.

"Hurtful!" Jeremiah said, fake-sobbing with Mimi mimicking him.

"Hey! Stop it you guys! We're not going to get out of this by arguing!" Ash yelled to them.

"But what can we do?" May asked tearfully.

"We'll battle them!" Ash said confidently. Ash then took out a Pokéball and threw it into the air.

In a flash of light, Primeape appeared in front of them, ready to fight.

"Absol, release your inner rage!" Jeremiah yelled as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

A large, quadruped mammal-like creature with white fur, a scythe-like tail, and a sickle-shaped growth on the side of its head appeared next to the Pig Monkey Pokémon.

The others soon sent out Beautifly, Politoed, Scyther, Nidoking, Sudowoodo, Shuppet, and Ambipom. Just as Gavin was about to send out a Pokémon, one of the Pokéballs on the side of his belt opened by itself, releasing a bright light that caused Eevee to appear.

"Eevee? What are you doing out of your ball?" Gavin asked his Pokémon.

"Vee!" Eevee said as it ran towards the moss-covered rock. It held out one of its paws and touched the rock with it. Its body then began to start glowing brightly.

"Whoa!" Max exclaimed.

"Could it be?" Tracey thought out loud.

"It's evolving!" Brock said in awe.

Everyone watched as the small Pokémon began growing and changing in size and shape. Its tail and ears lengthened and became leaf-like. Its body became tan and green in color. Small sprouts appeared all over its body. A longer sprout came out of its forehead. As the changes stopped, everyone's mouths opened in awe.

"Lea-feon!" The newly-evolved Pokémon cried.

"Wow! Eevee evolved into Leafeon!" Gary said at the sight of the Pokémon's new form.

Gavin took out his Pokédex and pointed it at his new Pokémon.

"_Leafeon, the Verdant Pok__é__mon. One of the evolved forms of Eevee. Leafeon is always surrounded by fresh clean air because it is now able to use photosynthesis like plants. It is also able to use Grass-type attacks._"

"Leafeon, do you want to battle?" Gavin asked, grinning at his new Pokémon.

Leafeon nodded and then jumped out in front of all of the other teen's Pokémon, standing up to the Ursaring and Beedrill. The forest Pokémon all looked a little wary of the Verdant Pokémon.

"Lea-feon!" Leafeon yelled as it pulled its head back and then brought it forward. Its ears then lifted up, releasing glowing green leaves at its opponents. They were knocked back by the leaves to the edge of the clearing.

"Wow! That was Magical Leaf!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Feon!" Leafeon said as its ears began to glow bright green, seeming to be gathering energy. It then opened its mouth and sent a large yellow beam of light at the Ursaring and Beedrill.

"That was a Solarbeam!" Ash said in admiration.

The blast sent the forest Pokémon flying to the other side of the wooded area. Leafeon looked back at them and grinned. All of the Pokémon surrounded it and began complimenting it.

"That was awesome, Leafeon!" Gavin said, causing the Grass-type Pokémon to run up to him and rub up against his legs.

"Very impressive," Jeremiah commented.

"Yeah, that's great, but what would be really impressive is if it could find the way out of here," Misty said, completely exhausted.

Leafeon's ears then pricked up and it started running down a pathway. They all ran after it until they came to the edge of the forest and saw a bright light. They soon saw Leafeon standing near a cliff that overlooked a large city in the distance.

"Hey, it's Sinjeta City!" May said happily.

"Leafeon did it!" Dawn said as she suddenly jumped and embraced a surprised and now -blushing Gavin. The girls let out an "Aww…" while the guys began to chuckle. Jeremiah smiled.

"Well, I should be going! I wish you luck, my friends!" Jeremiah said with a wink as he suddenly ran off with Mimi on his shoulder, leaving the group of friends once again very confused and feeling very awkward.

They soon shook it off, however, for now, they were nearing the site of May and Dawn's first Pokémon Contest in the Amaro Region!

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 14: "Sinjeta Contest Debut! May &amp; Dawn V.S. Kenny &amp; Kelly!"<span>_- The group is now at the site of the first Amaro Pokémon Contest, and the competition looks tough! Especially the team of Kenny and his partner, May's old friend Kelly! Will they be able to pull off the win? We'll soon see!

**Wow! So Eevee evolved into Leafeon? Awesome! Hope you liked it! Please continue to read & review! See you next chapter!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 14: "Sinjeta Contest Debut! May & Dawn V.S. Kenny & Kelly!"_

"I can't believe that we finally get to compete in a Contest together!" Dawn said excitedly.

May smiled at her friend. That morning, the group had gone to the Contest Hall early so that May and Dawn could register their team for the Amaro Contests and get their Contest Passes. In order to watch, the others had to get Passes as well. Now, May and Dawn were in the dressing room, getting ready for the contest.

May had already finished getting ready, wearing her Arabian-style Contest outfit, and while Dawn was in her pink Contest dress, she was still working on her hair.

"Yeah, I can't wait to get out there," May said as she watched her friend frantically try to get her hair styled, although it continued to become messed up. May looked worriedly at her friend.

"Dawn, are you okay?" She asked the blue-haired coordinator.

"Yeah!" Dawn said as she finally got her hair styled, before it messed itself up again. "I'm just a bit nervous."

"Here," May said as she took the brush from Dawn and began brushing her hair for her. "But why? You weren't nervous at that contest back in Cerulean City."

"Yes, but I lost that contest, and I don't want to let you down!" Dawn said sadly.

"Don't worry, Dawn!" May said reassuringly, now putting Dawn's hair into a ponytail. "It doesn't matter if we win or lose! Let's just have fun!"

"Right!" Dawn said, now feeling better.

"Besides, I _know_ that we're gonna win!" May said with a wink.

"Same old May," The two heard a voice say behind them.

They turned around and saw a girl with purple hair that had a large pink bow in it and dark blue eyes. She wore a sky blue dress with high heels of the same color.

"Kelly!" May exclaimed as she ran and hugged her friend from Lilycove City back in the Hoenn Region. "It's so great to see you!"

"You, too, May!" Kelly said with a smile. After some introductions between her and Dawn, the three sat down to talk.

"I can't believe that you're here!" May said excitedly. "So, I guess you're competing in the Amaro Contests as well?"

Kelly nodded and said, "Yeah. I'm here with a boy that I met back in Lilycove. He's a coordinator from the Sinnoh Region!"

"Really!" May and Dawn said in unison. "Who is it!"

"It's…" Kelly started to say before a familiar-looking boy with brown hair wearing a sort of a blue matador's outfit with yellow shoulder pads came into the room.

"Kelly, there you are, the contest's about to…" He began to say before he saw May and Dawn.

"Kenny!" Dawn said, completely surprised.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Ash and the others were sitting in stands waiting for the contest to start.<p>

"This is going to be awesome!" Ash said with a fist-pump into the air. "I can't wait to see May and Dawn in action!"

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu agreed, mimicking his master.

The others laughed at the sight of their friend and his Pokémon. Everyone that is, except for Gavin, who was staring intently at the stage, waiting for the contest to begin.

Finally, after a few minutes, it looked like they were going to begin.

* * *

><p>"Welcome, everyone to the first contest of the Amaro Region season, the Sinjeta City Pokémon Contest!" A woman with light brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a green dress on the contest stage said with a microphone to the audience.<p>

Everyone in the audience began to cheer very loudly.

"I'm your host, Jillian, and now to introduce you to the judges: Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, and Sinjeta City's own Nurse Joy!" Jillian said enthusiastically, pointing towards the three judges sitting in the booths next to the stage. Everyone clapped for them.

"Now, let's get this contest started!" Jillian said, as she extended her hand towards where the first team of coordinators would come out to do their appeal.

Ash and the others clapped as May and Dawn ran out onto the stage, waving happily to the cheering crowd.

"Ampharos, take the stage!" May shouted as she threw a Pokéball into the air.

"Pachirisu, spotlight!" Dawn yelled, throwing a Pokéball to the field.

In a flash of lightning, the Light Pokémon and the Elesquirrel Pokémon appeared onto the middle of a stage.

"Pachirisu, use Electro Ball towards Ampharos!" Dawn ordered.

"Chi-pa-chi-pa-chi-pa!" Pachirisu cried as a large orb of light blue electricity formed at the end of its tail. It then threw the orb towards Ampharos.

"Ampharos, use Iron Tail!" May commanded.

Ampharos's tail took a metallic shine as it hit the orb into the air.

"Now, use Power Gem!" May instructed.

A large, glowing orange ball of energy formed at the end of Ampharos's tail. It then launched the ball into the air where it had thrown the Electro Ball, causing Pachirisu's attack to go into Ampharos's attack.

"Pachirisu, use Discharge!" Dawn quickly yelled.

Pachirisu's cheeks started to release light blue sparks that eventually became light blue beams of electricity that it fired at the large orb of orange energy. The beams of electricity went into Pachirisu's Electro Ball, which caused the entire orb to explode like a fireworks show. As the fireworks went off, shimmering sparkles of light fell out all around the contest arena, causing the crowd to be awed by the sight of the appeal.

Pachirisu then ran and jumped onto Ampharos's tail, the later causing its tail to give off a white glow that made Pachirisu look dazzling. May and Dawn did a pose, their hands gesturing towards the two electric Pokémon. Everyone cheered for the two female coordinators and their Pokémon.

* * *

><p>"Wow! That was amazing!" Misty said remarkably.<p>

"Yeah, but not as amazing as that Jillian!" Brock said with hearts in his eyes.

Misty and Max looked at Brock, then looked at each other and nodded.

"Oh, how I wish I could sweep her off her fe…et!" Brock winced in pain as he felt Misty and Max pull on both of his ears. Then, one of Pokéballs on Brock's belt opened up, releasing the Poison Jab-wielding Croagunk, who gave him a sharp jab to the back.

"I should…have just…gotten a broom!" Brock said as he was knocked out. They then began to drag him out of the stands.

"We'll be back in little bit," Misty said as they took Brock out of row.

The two teens and Croagunk carried him out of the arena, leaving Ash, Gavin, Tracey, Gary, Pikachu, Pichu, Meowth, and Piplup there sweat dropping.

* * *

><p>"Alright, now it's time for our next team!" Jillian said as May and Dawn left the stage. Replacing them was Kenny and Kelly, who were both waving to the wildly cheering crowd.<p>

"Alakazam, let's go!" Kenny yelled as he threw a Pokéball to the stage. In a scatter of many small, yellow stars, the Psi Pokémon appeared.

"Altaria, dazzle 'em!" Kelly shouted as she tossed a Pokéball into the air. In a puff of smoke, the Humming Pokémon flew through the air above the stage, humming in a soprano tone. It looked a bit different, however.

"Wow! Who would've of thought that we'd see a shiny Pokémon today?" Jillian commented as the yellow, rather than blue, bird showed off its rare color.

"Altaria, use DragonBreath!" Kelly commanded.

Altaria fired a thick, pink air beam into the air above it.

"Alakazam, use Psychic!" Kenny ordered.

Alakazam crossed its spoons together and a blue aura surrounded its body. Its eyes also turned blue. It then caused the DragonBreath to twist and bend until it was the shape of a pyramid.

"Altaria now use Sky Attack!" Kelly yelled.

"Alakazam, use Shadow Ball!" Kenny shouted.

Altaria's body became surrounded by flames. It then started flying towards the pyramid. Alakazam started firing shadowy orbs towards the pyramid. The orbs surrounded the pyramid and floated around it. Altaria then flew into the pyramid and started flying around the arena within it, the Shadow Balls still floating around it. The flames that had surrounded it had combined with the pyramid, creating a pink fiery aura. It then started heading back to the stage.

"Altaria, finish it up with Safeguard!" Kelly instructed.

When Altaria reached the center of the arena, it lifted its wings and a green glow came from its body. The green and pink melded together and created a harmless burst of color that created fireworks with the Shadow Balls. Altaria's body now gave off a golden glow that enhanced its special color. The crowd awed in admiration at the golden light.

After the glow stopped, Alakazam jumped and did a flip in the air and then landed in between Kenny and Kelly. Altaria at that point descended and perched itself on one of Alakazam's arms. The four did a pose that caused the crowd to cheer.

* * *

><p>"Nice," Brock said as he suddenly appeared behind the others, surprising them. Misty and Max were soon seen walking back to their seats with Croagunk behind them. "They're gonna be tough to beat."<p>

"How did he recova so fast?" Meowth whispered to Pikachu.

"Pika-pika-chu-pika," Pikachu replied with a large sigh. ("He's used to it.")

* * *

><p>"Wow, they're good," May commented as she and Dawn watched Kenny and Kelly's appeal on the television set in the coordinator's lounge.<p>

"Yeah, but we'll show them that we're better," Dawn said confidently.

May smiled and nodded. They both then stared back at the screen to watch the other appeals.

* * *

><p>After several other appeals, it was finally time for the judges to show which four teams would be facing off in the battle round.<p>

As everyone watched the screen with great focus, eight pictures appeared onto the screen, four of which were May's, Dawn's, Kenny's, and Kelly's.

"They did it!" Ash exclaimed.

"Yeah, now they just have to deal with the battle round," Max said happily.

"Let's hope that they can do this," Gavin said with a smile.

"Pika Chupika pi Pikaka!" Pikachu cheered. ("Go May and Dawn!")

* * *

><p>Soon, after two battle rounds, it was time for the final round.<p>

"It's time for the final round!" Jillian announced.

**(Hey, I already said that! Stupid Contest Announcer!)**

"It's a battle between the team of May & Dawn and Kenny & Kelly!" Jillian said to the crowd.

The two teams stood on either side of the battlefield. Everyone was watching the stand –off in anticipation.

"Alright, five minutes on the clock! Coordinators, bring out your Pokémon!"

The screen showed both teams and their point counters. The timer displayed 5:00.

"Venusaur, take the stage!" May said as she threw a Pokéball to the field.

The Seed Pokémon landed with a thud onto the field surrounded by hearts.

"Quilava, spotlight!" Dawn yelled as she threw her ball into the air.

Quilava appeared in a ring of blue fire.

"Grumpig, dazzle 'em!" Kelly shouted as she tossed her ball to the field.

The Manipulate Pokémon landed with a bounce onto the field surrounded by a large puff of confetti.

"Machamp, let's go!" Kenny cried as he tossed his ball into the air.

The four-armed Fighting-type Pokémon flexed its muscles amongst a flurry of black lines that shot from it.

"Again, five minutes on the clock! Let's begin!" Jillian repeated as the timer began counting down.

"Quilava, use Flame Wheel!" Dawn commanded.

Quilava began running across the field, turning its body into a wheel of red-and-yellow fire.

"Machamp, use Ice Punch to grab it!" Kenny instructed.

Two of Machamp's hands began to glow icy blue. It then grabbed a shocked Quilava as it was coming, the ice putting out the flames.

* * *

><p>"How could an Ice-type attack stop a Fire-type attack?" Max asked, taken aback by Machamp's move.<p>

"Sometimes, when an Ice attack is used correctly, it can melt into water and put out Fire attacks," Gary explained.

* * *

><p>"Grumpig, use Focus Punch on Quilava!" Kelly yelled.<p>

Grumpig bounced into the air towards Machamp, who was holding out Quilava, who struggled to get free. As it was coming, Grumpig's fist began to glow light blue in color.

"Venusaur, quick! Use Vine Whip to stop Grumpig!" May quickly ordered.

Vines came out of Venusaur's back and went speeding towards Grumpig, grabbing it by the tail.

"Thanks, May," Dawn said, beaming at her partner.

"Anytime, Dawn," May replied with a wink.

"Quilava, use Eruption!" Dawn yelled.

Quilava shot a large stream of red-and-orange flame from the fire on its head at Machamp, causing it to drop Quilava in pain.

* * *

><p>"May and Dawn work together in battle pretty well," Tracey commented as he sketched some of the battle scenes on his sketchpad.<p>

"Plup!" Piplup nodded, agreeing with the Pokémon watcher.

* * *

><p>"Grumpig, use Psybeam!" Kelly shouted to her entangled Pokémon.<p>

Grumpig shot a multicolored beam of light at Venusaur. Venusaur was hurt, causing it to let go of Grumpig.

"Now, Grumpig, jump to Machamp and get on its hand!" Kelly instructed.

Grumpig used its spring to bounce back over to Machamp. It wrapped the coil on one of Machamp's hands.

"Machamp, use Bullet Punch to launch Grumpig at Venusaur!" Kenny commanded.

Machamp's hand glowed red and then it punched straight in front of its body, causing Grumpig to rocket towards a still dazed Venusaur. Grumpig began preparing another Focus Punch.

"Quilava, hurry, use Aerial Ace on Grumpig!" Dawn yelled.

Quilava jumped into the air, its body surrounded by white streaks, and it began heading towards the airborne Grumpig.

"Machamp, stop Quilava using Smack Down!" Kenny shouted.

Machamp moved unbelievably fast towards Quilava and knocked it down to the ground using one of its forearms.

* * *

><p>"How did Machamp do that?" Misty asked.<p>

"It used Smack Down, a Rock-type move that will knock airborne Pokémon to the ground," Brock answered. "Although, I've never seen it used so quickly before."

"Kenny must've trained his Machamp to go really fast in order to combat Aerial Ace," Ash decided.

* * *

><p>"Quilava!" Dawn shrieked in panic.<p>

Grumpig continued to head towards Venusaur, ready to strike.

"Venusaur, use Frenzy Plant!" May yelled.

Venusaur's body became outlined in a green glow, and then, it stomped the ground hard. Thorny roots came out of the ground and grabbed a surprised Grumpig.

* * *

><p>"When did May's Venusaur learn Frenzy Plant?" Ash asked nobody in particular.<p>

"She told me that she had it learn it when she took a vacation to the Sevii Islands," Max replied.

* * *

><p>"Venusaur, use Vine Whip and grab Quilava!" May commanded.<p>

A vine came out of Venusaur's back and went and grabbed Quilava from the ground.

"Dawn, have Quilava use Sunny Day!" May whispered to Dawn.

"Okay. Quilava, use Sunny Day!" Dawn ordered, still very confused.

Quilava weakly held out its arms and an orange orb of energy formed between them. It then launched it towards the ceiling, causing a bright, miniature sun to appear and shine throughout the arena.

"Now, Venusaur, use Synthesis!" May instructed.

Venusaur's body began to glow with white sparkles. The glow went up its vine and up to Quilava, healing both of them and creating a beautiful move.

"Machamp, quick, use Bulk Up!" Kenny yelled.

Machamp's muscles began to bulge all over its body, making it look stronger.

"Now, use Double Team!" Kenny shouted.

Machamp then created multiple illusionary copies of itself.

"Use Cross Chop to free Grumpig and pick up Venusaur!"

The Machamp copies cut apart the roots of the Frenzy Plant, freeing Grumpig, while the real Machamp went behind Venusaur, who was still healing, and lifted it up.

"Venusaur!" May yelled in panic.

* * *

><p>"Wow, that Machoke is strong!" Gary said, impressed.<p>

"But what's Kenny trying to do?" Brock thought out loud.

Gavin continued to watch the match. Then, his eyes suddenly widened. He then stood up and yelled, "May, Dawn! Don't pay attention to Machamp! It's Grumpig you need to be worrying about!"

"Huh?" The others said, turning the eyes towards the Manipulation Pokémon.

* * *

><p>May and Dawn turned their focus towards Grumpig, wondering what Gavin had meant. Then, their eyes widened as well at what they saw.<p>

There was a light blue ball of energy forming in between Grumpig's hands. It was getting larger and more intense.

"Now, Grumpig, release the secret Focus Blast!" Kelly said with a mischievous smile.

Grumpig launched the ball at Venusaur, who couldn't move due to Machamp holding it up. Then, the ball hit its target, creating an explosion of black smoke. Just then, however, the buzzer went off.

* * *

><p>"Time's up! Now let's see who won!" Jillian said to the excited and tense crowd.<p>

Then, as the smoke cleared, the winners could be clearly seen.

"It's Kenny and Kelly!" Jillian announced.

While others in the crowd cheered, Ash and the others looked sad.

"I can't believe that May and Dawn lost," Ash said sadly.

"I hope that they're okay," Misty said worriedly.

"Chu," Pikachu said, moping.

* * *

><p>Surprisingly, when the group found May and Dawn, they were the furthest from sad and crying. They were actually congratulating Kenny and Kelly on their win.<p>

"That was an amazing battle, Kelly!" May said to her friend.

"Yeah, Kenny, you've gotten really good!" Dawn said with a smile.

"Thanks, May and Dawn! I hope you guys win your next contest!" Kelly said, hugging them before she and Kenny walked off.

Ash and the others couldn't have been more shocked. Ash decided to double-check.

"So, you're okay?" Ash asked May.

May smiled and pressed her lips to his. After a few seconds, she pulled away and asked, "Does that answer your question?"

Ash, dazed and blushing, just nodded with a dopey smile on his face. Everyone laughed.

"Besides, we'll win the next one!" Dawn said enthusiastically.

"That's the spirit," Gavin encouraged.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on the other side of the Amaro Region, two people, a man and a woman, both wearing trench coats and hats, were sitting in a cave.<p>

The man took out a laptop and placed it on the floor of the cave. Then, he pressed a button that caused a shadowy man's face to appear on the screen.

"Report," The man said in a deep voice.

"We have the information on the Amaro region's recent number of blackouts," The woman said to the screen. "The most recent ones have been close to Grenia Cove."

"They are indeed connected to the mysterious team that is said to be situated here," The man added.

"Good," The man on the screen said with a smile. "Hopefully, we'll soon be able to draw them out."

"Yes, sir," The man and the woman nodded with evil smiles on their faces.

* * *

><p>What the people in the cave didn't realize was that someone else was listening in on their conversation.<p>

"Looks like we're going to Grenia Cove, old friend," He said in a whisper to the bird on his shoulder, who nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 15: "A Hatching on the Pathway to Vayona Town! Gotta Get the Egg Back!"<span>_- After a rough loss at the Sinjeta City Pokémon Contest, the group is on their way to Vayona Town, the site of Ash's first gym battle! All seems fine when suddenly, Team Rocket appears and steals Gavin's egg! And did I mention that it's about hatch? Will they be able to get it back? And what's it going to hatch into? Find out next chapter!

**I wonder what the egg will be? Read & Review and tell me what you think it will be!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey, guys! Here's the next chapter! It's a bit short, but I still hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 15: "A Hatching on the Pathway to Vayona Town! Gotta Get the Egg Back!"_

It was a beautiful morning as Ash and his friends walked on a pathway amongst a grassy field. All around them, wild Pokémon ran through the fields, slowly attending to their daily lives. Ash, however, was running like there was no tomorrow.

"Come on, guys! We've got to get to Vayona Town!" He yelled as he ran with Pikachu sprinting by his side.

Behind him, his friends all groaned. Ash could be so hyper sometimes. Almost as hyper as Barry. Almost.

"Ash, calm down! We'll get there before the day is over, and then, you can have your gym battle tomorrow!" Brock shouted to the wild, raven-haired boy and his yellow partner.

"But if we hurry, I'll have time to find out more about the gym!" Ash yelled back. "Me and Pikachu want to be ready for anything, right buddy?"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded with a smiled as he ran beside his master.

Everyone else sighed. There had to be a way to slow him down. Luckily, something did happen.

"Gavin, your egg's starting to glow!" Dawn shrieked excitedly.

"What!" Gavin and the others cried as they looked at the egg case with the glowing green egg with pale white splotches all over it. Everyone, including Ash and Pikachu, screeched to a halt.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, they had set up a place for lunch. Brock was preparing the meal while everyone else was sitting at the table, staring at the glowing egg.<p>

"I wonder what it'll be," May pondered as she watched the egg with Ash's arm around her shoulder.

"It could be anything," Ash said as he watched the egg with a smile. "This reminds me of when I got my Donphan and Scrafty as Pokémon eggs."

"And my Glaceon," May said reminiscently.

"And my Quilava," Dawn added.

"My Azurill and Togetic," Misty said, smiling at Tracey, the one that had given her Azurill.

"And my Chansey," Brock commented. "Speaking of which, I think we might need some help."

He then took out a Pokéball and threw it into the air. In a flash of light, the Egg Pokémon appeared on the grass.

"Good idea, Brock," Misty said to the future Pokémon doctor.

"Thanks," Brock replied, then looking to his Chansey. "Okay, Chansey, I need you to make sure that Gavin's egg is healthy."

"Chan-sey!" Chansey nodded before walking over to the group. It then began to examine the egg, and in a few seconds, it smiled and nodded several times.

"Awesome!" Gavin said to Brock's Pokémon. He then turned back to his egg. "It's gonna be cool to have another Pokémon in the group, right, Pichu?"

"Pi-chu!" Pichu nodded with a smile and a thumbs-up.

Then, as the group watched the egg blink repeatedly, a large metal claw came down and grabbed the egg case, and with it, the egg.

"What!" Everybody yelled, completely surprised as they watched the egg get carried away to an object in the sky that held two people laughing evilly.

"Oh, no!" May yelled.

"Not them again!" Tracey shouted angrily.

Soon, the object came into view. It was a large, black balloon with a red letter "R" on it. The balloon carried a basket with two people in it: a man with blue hair and a woman with red hair.

"Team Rocket!" Ash said with distaste.

"Did someone call our name?" The woman said, starting a motto.

"Surely we're not to blame!" The man continued.

"Putting the world in devastation!"

"Uniting all within the new sensation!"

"Thrusting the black dust of shadows throughout the age!"

"Blinding all with the fire of our rage!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Causing evil and chaos wherever we show!"

"Stealing Pokémon is the way we go!"

"Now say good-bye for Team Rocket's rhyme is done!"

"Maro-wak!" A brown theropod-like creature with a skull-like head and a large bone held in its hand said as it appeared in between them.

* * *

><p>Everyone in the group on the ground was mad at the people in the balloon, but none were as mad as Dawn and Meowth.<p>

"HOW DARE YOU STEAL GAVIN'S EGG!" Dawn shrieked in an unstoppable rage.

"HOW COULD YOU TWO REPLACE ME WITH A MAROWAK!" Meowth yelled in anger.

The trio just laughed evilly.

"We needed an extra member to deal with traitors like you! The boss was actually overjoyed when we told him how powerful you had gotten, so he gave us a Pokémon that was more powerful than you!" Jessie said with a smirk, patting the Marowak on its head.

"Plus, whatever comes out of this egg will make a fine addition to our team as well!" James said with a chuckle.

"You thieves!" Misty said angrily, with fire in her eyes.

"Now, we must make our leave, right, James?" Jessie said, turning to her partner.

"Yes, I agree," James nodded with a curt smile. He then looked down at the Bone Keeper Pokémon and asked, "What say you, Marowak?"

"Maro! Wak!" Marowak said with a nod.

At that point, the bottom of the balloon basket opened, causing a rocket to appear. It began to charge up power for Team Rocket's getaway.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Gavin yelled, bringing out a Pokéball. "Crobat, come on out!"

In a flash of light, the four-winged, purple bat Pokémon appeared and flew into the air.

"Cut their balloon with Air Slash!" Gavin commanded.

Crobat brought both of its top wings in front of its body with a slashing motion, triggering a blade of air to appear and begin heading straight towards Team Rocket's rocket. The attack cut a hole in the balloon, which made Team Rocket's balloon fly around in the air in every direction, completely out of control. The balloon then began to descend towards the ground.

Unfortunately, Jessie accidently let go of the egg case that she held, causing the egg case to start to fall towards the ground.

"The egg!" Dawn screamed.

"It'll break and damage the baby Pokémon!" Brock yelled anxiously.

"Pidgeot, catch the egg!" Ash shouted as he threw a Pokéball into the air. The Bird Pokémon appeared and began to fly towards the falling egg. "Pikachu, go and help it!"

"Pika!" Pikachu said as it jumped onto Pidgeot's back and the two flew into the air.

"Pichu, go with Crobat and help them!" Gavin ordered.

"Pi!" Pichu yelled as Crobat came down and it jumped onto its back. The duo followed Pikachu and Pidgeot, who were also racing towards the egg.

Then, just when it looked like all hope was lost, Pikachu managed to catch the egg case. However, the egg case was accidently opened, causing the egg to fall out and continue to fall.

Luckily, Pichu caught it just in time. Pichu smiled as the four flew back to the group.

"Great work, you guys," Gavin said thankfully as they brought him the egg and its case. Gavin then returned the egg to the case in order to keep it safe.

"No way!" They suddenly heard a voice shriek from underneath the crashed balloon of Team Rocket. Jessie, James, and Marowak crawled out from the wreckage, all looking very annoyed.

"Give us back that egg!" Jessie said angrily.

"Yeah, we stole it first!" James shouted madly.

"Maro!" Marowak said indignantly.

"It's my egg, and if you want to take it, you'll have to go through me!" Gavin said bravely, handing the egg case to Dawn before turning back around to face Team Rocket.

"Ha!" Jessie sniggered at the trainer. "You can't possibly battle _all_ of our Pokémon!"

"Yeah! With Marowak, we now have seven! You only have six! How can you possibly battle us?" James inquired with a sneer.

"Cause I make seven!" Meowth said valiantly as he suddenly stood in front of the group. He then turned to Gavin and said, "I'll take Marowak, while you take the rest!"

Gavin nodded and then he sent out his other four Pokémon: Magmar, Donphan, Weavile, and Leafeon. They walked over and stood beside Pichu, Meowth, and Crobat. The seven Pokémon stood together, ready to fight.

Soon enough, Jessie and James sent out Swoobat, Cofagrigus, Scolipede, Maractus, Liepard, and Darmanitan, who all stood next to Marowak, all of them ready for their revenge against Gavin's Pokémon.

"Swoobat, use Heart Stamp!" Jessie yelled.

"Crobat, use X-Scissor!" Gavin commanded.

Swoobat started flying towards Crobat with its nose in front, of which was glowing bright red. Crobat crossed its now glowing blue wings, making an "X"-shaped attack as it flew straight towards the Courting Pokémon.

"Cofagrigus, use Shadow Ball!" James shouted.

"Leafeon, use Solarbeam!" Gavin ordered.

Cofagrigus began forming a shadowy orb in between its four arms, while Leafeon's ears began to glow green as they gathered solar energy and a yellow orb appeared in front of its mouth. The two then launched their attacks at each other.

"Scolipede, use Toxic!" (Jessie)

"Magmar, use Flamethrower!" (Gavin)

Scolipede released a stream of thick purple liquid from its mouth towards Magmar. Magmar's eyes glowed orange an then it fired a stream of fire at Scolipede.

"Maractus, use Petal Dance!" (James)

"Pichu, use Thundershock!" (Gavin)

Maractus rapidly spun around, sending multiple pink petals at the Tiny Mouse Pokémon. Pichu sent a blast of yellow electricity from its cheeks at the Cactus Pokémon.

"Liepard, use Night Slash!" (Jessie)

"Weavile, use Metal Claw!" (Gavin)

Liepard's claws glowed a dark red and Weavile's claws glowed metallically as they jumped towards each other, both ready to slash.

"Darmanitan, use Flare Blitz!" (James)

"Donphan, use Rollout!" (Gavin)

Darmanitan's body became surrounded by a light blue fire and it shot towards Donphan like a missile. Donphan curl its body into a ball and then began rolling towards the Blazing Pokémon.

"Maro-wak!" Marowak said as it ran towards Meowth with its bone ready. ("Bone Club!")

"Fury Swipes!" Meowth yelled as he pounced up with its claws out and ready to attack its replacement.

The attacks all collided. The group watched in awe as Crobat and Swoobat crashed into each other and Donphan and Darmanitan tackled each other. The attacks of light and shadow collided in mid-air, causing an explosion of black smoke. Magmar's Fire attack caused Scolipede's Poison attack to detonate and Pichu's Thundershock fried Maractus's Petal Dance attack. Weavile and Liepard clawed at each other and Meowth and Marowak fought claw to bone.

In the end, all of Gavin's Pokémon, plus Meowth, took down all of Team Rocket's Pokémon. Jessie was steaming with rage.

"HOW IS IT THAT HE KEEPS BEATING US!" She screamed in anger, scaring everybody.

Gavin turned around and muttered to Ash, "Hey, do you think you can send them flying before _she_ attacks us?"

Ash grinned and replied, "Sure. Pikachu, you know what to do."

A mischievous grin appeared on the Electric Mouse Pokémon's face.

"Piii-kaaa-chuuuuuuu!" Pikachu cried as it released a powerful burst of yellow electricity at the villains. Team Rocket howled in pain before a powerful explosion occurred.

"We're blasting off again!" They were heard yelling as they flew off into the sky, disappearing from the group's sight.

* * *

><p>"Well, dat takes care of dat!" Meowth said as he dusted off his hands in accomplishment.<p>

"That was awesome, you guys!" Max exclaimed.

"Yeah, like when you…Gavin! You're egg!" Dawn yelled in surprise. "I think it's about to hatch!"

"WHAT!" The group said in shock.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, the rapidly-glowing egg was set down onto the table and the group surrounded it, waiting expectantly to see what Gavin's new Pokémon would be.<p>

Gavin took the top of the case off and then the egg began to glow in a very bright white light. Everyone watched in awe as the egg started to change shape.

After the glowing stopped, everyone was surprised at what they saw.

It was a bipedal, greenish-colored creature with visible nostrils, pale tusks protruding from the sides of its mouth, and a dark grayish-green colored horn on the back of its head. It had a forest-green collar-like thing around its neck, small limbs with three fingers on each of its hands and two digits on each foot, and a small tail. When it opened its eyes, they saw that its eyes were red and that it had a dark grayish-green rimming around both of its eyes.

"Ax-ew!" It said with a high-pitched voice, causing all of the girls to squeal at its cuteness.

"Hey, it's an Axew!" Ash exclaimed. "My friend Iris had one before it evolved into a Fraxure during our journey in Unova! It's a Dragon-type!"

"A Dragon-type?" Gavin repeated as he took out his Pokédex and scanned his new Pokémon.

'_Axew, the Tusk Pok__é__mon. They use their tusks to crush the berries that they eat. If one of their tusks breaks, a new one will grow in very quickly._'

"That is so cute!" The girls all said in unison. This surprised the young Pokémon, causing it to run to Gavin and hide itself in his jacket. Everyone laughed at this sight.

Gavin then took the newborn out of his jacket and held it up in front of him.

"Well, Axew, I guess I should say welcome to the family!" Gavin said with a grin.

"EW!" Axew said happily as it embraced its new trainer.

"So, Gavin, are you going to put Axew in the Pokéball that came with it?" Gary asked.

Gavin looked down at the golden Pokéball and replied, "Not yet. First, I want to get to Vayona Town and send one of my Pokémon to Professor Oak. Until then, Axew will just sit in my backpack.

Axew had other ideas. He then started to crawl into Gavin's jacket and then into his shirt, causing the group to burst out laughing again. Gavin and Axew joined in the laughter.

Now, after a struggle against Team Rocket, the group makes a new addition to the family and soon, they will get to their destination: Vayona Town, the site of Ash's first Amaro League gym battle.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 16: "A Hard-Hitting Double Battle! Ash Ketchum V.S. The Fighting King!"<span>_- Ash and the others have finally arrived in Vayona Town, the place where Ash's first gym battle will take place. After running into some familiar faces, Ash finds out that the first gym is a double-battle styled gym run by Kendo, the self-proclaimed Fighting Pokémon King! What's worse, only Fighting-type Pokémon can participate in the battle! Will Ash be able to pull off the win? Stay tuned to find out!

**Wow, a new team member! Plus, the next chapter's a gym battle! Hope you liked the chapter! See you guys next chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16

**New chapter with a Gym Battle! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 16: "A Hard-Hitting Double Battle!" Ash V.S. The Fighting King!"_

"Come on, Axew! Get out of my jacket!" Gavin yelled as a bulge in his jacket moved around his body.

At the sound of his voice, the Tusk Pokémon's head popped out, smiled, and said in a high-pitched voice, "Ax-ew!"

As the others laughed, Gavin just sighed and smiled at the baby Pokémon.

They had arrived earlier that evening at Vayona Town, and were currently all standing in the lobby of Vayona Town's Pokémon Center. Gavin had just sent his Weavile to Professor Oak and was currently attempting to get Axew captured inside of its Pokéball. Axew, however, was playfully avoiding capture by any means necessary.

Dawn, who was standing closest to Gavin, smiled and said, "Here, give him to me and then you can put him in the Pokéball."

Gavin shrugged and then pulled the little Dragon-type out of his jacket and handed him over to the blue-haired girl.

"Alright, Axew, in you go!" Gavin said as he tapped Axew on the forehead with the golden Pokéball. The ball opened and Axew disappeared in a flash of red light. The ball wiggled for a few seconds before they all heard a definite "CLICK" and a slight sparkle.

"Great job, Gavin," Ash commented with a snicker. Gavin glared at him and Meowth, who was chuckling as well. Then, Gavin just smiled.

"Well, I couldn't have done it without Dawn here," Gavin said as he put his arm around Dawn's shoulder and grinned. Dawn began to blush a very deep red.

"So, Ash," Gary said from his spot at the table that a few of them were sitting at. "Did you find anything out about the gym?"

Ash, who had earlier gone and asked around about the gym in this town, sighed and shook his head.

"I don't get it," Ash said as he sat down at the table next to May, who then decided to lean on him with a smile. "I asked pretty much everyone, but no one seems to know anything."

"Maybe you weren't asking the right people," They heard a voice say nearby.

They all turned and saw a familiar, purple-haired trainer walking over to them.

"Paul?" Ash said in surprise. "Did you already have your gym battle?"

"Why don't you see for yourself," Paul said with a smirk. He pulled out what looked like a badge case and opened it, revealing a small piece of metal that glinted upon seeing the light.

"I would suggest that you bring at least two Fighting-type Pokémon with you to your battle," Paul said with a knowing smirk. "They're the only type of Pokémon that are allowed to battle in the Vayona gym."

"Fighting-types, eh?" Ash said, a grin appearing on his face. "Thanks for the info."

Everyone else was confused. Since when did Paul ever give Ash advice?

* * *

><p>The next morning, the group was walking into the courtyard of the Vayona Town Gym. It was a one-story building similar to a dojo. All around them, martial artists and students were practicing different fighting styles with all sorts of Fighting-type Pokémon.<p>

"Wow, they sure have a lot of Fighting Pokémon here," Max noticed as they began to walk up the stone steps to a very large wooden door. On each side of the door sat a man, both wearing a white gi.

Ash turned to one of them and said, "I'm here to challenge the leader of this gym!"

One of the men nodded at Ash and stood up. The man walked over towards a gong, and after picking up a large wooden stick, he banged the stick against it, creating a loud sound that circulated all throughout the dojo.

The door slowly opened, revealing a bright white light that blinded the teens for a moment. Soon enough, however, their sight returned and they saw a large battlefield.

* * *

><p>As they walked in, they saw all sorts of training equipment and several powerful-looking Fighting-type Pokémon training and performing all sorts of chops, kicks, and other fighting moves. The group all watched them in awe.<p>

"I see that I have a challenger," They heard a deep voice suddenly say behind them.

They all turned around and saw a tall, darkly-tanned man that was practically made up of muscles. He had short, flat-topped white hair and piercing gray eyes. He wore a white gi with a black belt around his waist and he wore a black headband around his forehead. He had an expression that seemed serious, but at the same time, laid back. He reminded Ash of a mixture between several gym leaders and Elite Four that he had faced before, such as Bruno of the Kanto and Johto Elite Four, Lt. Surge, Marshal of the Unova Elite Four, Chuck, Brawly, Brycen, Clay, Alder, the Champion of Unova, and surprisingly, Greta of the Kanto Battle Frontier.

"Hello there," He said with a bow, to which the teens returned the favor. "I am Kendo, leader of this dojo and of the Vayona City Gym. Which of you is the challenger?"

Ash stepped up in front of the others and said, "I am. My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and I hereby challenge you to a gym battle!"

Kendo gave a little bow with his head and replied, "Of course. I assume you have heard that I only allow Fighting Pokémon to battle here?"

Ash nodded. He had just this morning sent back his Pidgeot to Professor Oak and had him send him one of his Fighting Pokémon.

"Excuse me, Mr. Kendo?" May said, raising her hand. Kendo looked over at the girl that now stood by Ash. "Why is it that you only allow Fighting Pokémon to battle here?"

A smile appeared on Kendo's face and he then said, "Many have asked me that question in the past, and here is my answer: As a master in many fighting styles, I have learned throughout my life that the only true way to test a Fighting Pokémon's abilities is to have them battle against their own kind."

They all nodded, understanding. Then, Dawn noticed something.

"Hey, Gavin," Dawn said to which brought attention to herself, "Where's Pichu?"

Gavin and the others looked over at the shoulder where Pichu had sat only a few seconds ago. He was, in fact, not there.

"Huh? I wonder where he…," Gavin said as he began to look around until he finally spotted where the Tiny Mouse Pokémon was. "Oh, no, not again!"

Everyone looked over in the direction in which Gavin was looking and then were astonished at what they saw.

Pichu was standing at the top of a large wooden pole, doing a sort of crane-stance on one foot, holding his hands in the air. What really got everyone's attention was the bandana with a fiery color pattern that Pichu had tied around his head. He then began to do several fighting moves involving punches and kicks.

Gavin face-palmed himself while the others all began to laugh at the sight of the small, yellow mouse Pokémon at the top of the pole.

"Ugh. I was hoping that he wouldn't bring back that Focus Band of his," Gavin said, sounding embarrassed.

"What is he doing?" Brock asked.

Gavin sighed and then replied, "Practicing his 'fighting skills.' He's done this every time we go to some sort of dojo or Fighting gym ever since he learned Reversal."

"Your Pichu knows Reversal?" Kendo inquired.

"Yeah," Gavin said with a nod. "You see, back in the Hoenn Region, when we were training for a rematch with Brawly, the Fighting-type gym leader there, we ran into a man in the Dewford Cave who offered to teach Pichu the Reversal move. He gave us a Focus Band to help Pichu focus his energy as he practiced against the Makuhita and Aron in there. Finally, after a couple of days, Pichu was able to get the hang of it, and we had a rematch against Brawly, which we won."

"Very impressive," Kendo said with a widening smile as he looked up at Pichu. "Very few non-Fighting-types are able to learn that move. It takes a lot of skill to master it."

Then, he turned towards Ash and said, "Well, I think now's the time for us to battle. Are you ready?"

Ash nodded with a grin. Pikachu, who was on his shoulder, did the same.

* * *

><p>Soon, Ash and Kendo were on opposite sides of the battlefield, both ready for battle. The others sat in the stands, May with Pikachu in her lap and Gavin with Pichu, who still wore the Focus Band on his head. Even after Gavin had managed to get him down from the pole, Pichu had blatantly refused to take its beloved item off. Gavin, who had eventually became tired of arguing with the small yellow Pokémon, gave in and let him wear it.<p>

"This will be a double battle between Dojo Master Kendo and the challenger, Ash Ketchum," One of the men that they had seen at the door's voice blared throughout the arena. "Only two Pokémon each; once both of one of the competitors' Pokémon are knocked out, the other will be declared the winner. No substitutions are allowed. Competitors, choose your fighters!"

"Primeape, Scrafty, I choose you!" Ash shouted as he threw two Pokéballs into the air. In a flash of light, the Pig Monkey Pokémon and the Hoodlum Pokémon appeared.

* * *

><p>"So that's who Ash got from Grandpa this morning," Gary said as he saw Ash's Pokémon standing on the field. "This should be an interesting battle."<p>

* * *

><p>Kendo smiled and yelled, "Nice choices. Now here are my Pokémon. Throh, Sawk, prepare for battle!"<p>

In an eruption of light, two humanoid Pokémon appeared onto the field. One had a bulky body with red, rocky skin, a round head, and a "Y"-shaped black feature over his eyes and nose. The other had a lean body with blue, rocky skin, an almond-shaped head, and a skewed, "Z" shape over his nose and left eye. They both looked like they were wearing white-and-black martial arts outfits.

* * *

><p>"Who are those Pokémon?" Dawn asked.<p>

"Throh and Sawk," Gavin answered. "Their Fighting Pokémon from the Unova Region. I'm sure Ash has encountered those kinds of Pokémon before during his travels in that region."

May and Max then took out their Pokédexes and scanned the two Pokémon to give them all a bit more information.

'_Throh, the Judo Pok__é__mon. When it encounters foes bigger than itself, it attempts to throw them. When it tightens its belt, it becomes stronger._'

'_Sawk, the Karate Pok__é__mon. These Pok__é__mon can be heard in the mountains punching boulders and trees in order to perfect their punching ability. If someone disturbs their training, they get very angry._'

* * *

><p>Ash looked in awe at these two Pokémon. He had battled these kinds of Pokémon before separately, but never together at the same time.<p>

"We can do this! Right, guys?" Ash asked his Pokémon. They both nodded excitedly, obviously pumped.

"Let the battle begin!" The referee yelled as a gong was struck.

"Primeape, use Mega Kick! Scrafty, use Hi Jump Kick!" Ash commanded.

Primeape and Scrafty both jumped into the air. Primeape began heading down towards Throh with a foot aiming towards him and Scrafty was heading towards Sawk with its orange-red glowing knee.

"Throh, use Vital Throw and Sawk, use Double Kick!" Kendo ordered.

As Primeape came close to Throh, Throh jumped up and slammed into Primeape. Then, it grabbed it by the leg and threw it to the ground. When Scrafty came near Sawk, Sawk jumped up and kicked him twice and then sent Scrafty hurtling towards the ground. Both Primeape and Scrafty struggled to stand back up.

'_How did they attack so quickly?_' Ash thought. He then shook it off and then yelled, "Primeape, use Mega Punch!"

Primeape's fist began to glow brightly as it ran up towards Throh and punched him in the gut, sending him flying across the field.

"Now, Scrafty, use Brick Break!" Ash instructed.

Scrafty's arm glowed white and then it ran towards Sawk, struck it in the same area Primeape had aimed for, and then also sent the Pokémon flying over to where Throh was trying to recover from the blow that Primeape had dealt it. However, they both still stood back up.

"Throh, Sawk, use Bulk Up!" Kendo shouted.

Throh and Sawk's bodies began to glow a crimson aura. Then, they both flexed their muscles, causing them to bulge with strength.

"Now, both of you! Use Reversal!" Kendo yelled.

* * *

><p>Everyone now looked a bit worried. What was going to happen now?<p>

"This is bad," Gary said as he watched. "Who knows what'll happen when you use Reversal after using Bulk Up?"

Dawn turned to Gavin and asked, "Gavin, you're the Reversal expert. What happens when you use Bulk Up before using Reversal?"

"Well, first off, both Throh and Sawk were hit by very powerful moves," Gavin began to explain. "Then, Kendo had them both use Bulk Up, which powers up a Pokémon's attack and defense. Now, he's having his Pokémon use Reversal, which will hit the foes with the same power that they were hit with. However, with Bulk Up, the power of their Reversal attack is increased by a lot."

"Which means, Ash is gonna have to do something quick!" Misty realized.

"Or Primeape and Scrafty are gonna be punchin' bags!" Meowth exclaimed.

* * *

><p>Ash gritted his teeth as Throh and Sawk's fists began to glow and they began run towards his Pokémon.<p>

'_What am I going to do?_' Ash thoughts raced throughout his head.'_If they hit with all of that power, Primeape and Scrafty might be seriously injured!_'

Then, however, an idea popped in his head. It was a risky move, but he had to try.

"Primeape, Scrafty, both of you! Use Counter!" Ash commanded.

"WHAT!" Kendo yelled in shock.

As Throh and Sawk prepared to strike Ash's Pokémon, both Primeape and Scrafty glowed orange and the fists of Throh and Sawk were stopped in mid-air. Then, an explosion of power occurred, and both Throh and Sawk were blasted back to the other side of the field.

* * *

><p>"Wow! That was awesome!" Tracey commented.<p>

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered in May's arms.

"Yeah, Ash has to have won now!" May said happily.

Just as the girls, Max, Pikachu, Meowth, Piplup, and Tracey were about to stand up and cheer, Brock interrupted, saying, "Uh, guys? You might want to take another look."

They all turned towards where Brock, Gavin, Pichu, and Gary were looking and were shocked at the sight that they saw.

* * *

><p>As the dust cleared, it could be seen that Throh and Sawk were both still standing strong.<p>

"What!" Ash exclaimed in disbelief. "But how?"

"Did you forget that Bulk Up not only powers up Attack, but Defense as well?" Kendo said with a smirk. "Plus, my Sawk's Sturdy ability makes it so that he can't be knocked down so easily!"

Ash mentally cursed and kicked himself. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten about that. The battle was still on.

"Now, let's finish this with a double Focus Blast!" Kendo ordered.

Light blue orbs of energy started to form in Throh and Sawk's arms. Then, after they had grown to a certain size, the two Pokémon threw them at Primeape and Scrafty.

"Primeape, quick! Use Dig! And Scrafty, use Detect!" Ash yelled.

Primeape quickly dug its way underground, while Scrafty's eyes glowed blue and it dodged the attacks in a way that made it so they both missed.

'_That was close!_' Ash wiped his sweat drenched head in relief. '_If those attacks had hit, we would've been done for! What are we going to do?_'

Then, an idea popped into Ash's head. He hesitated. Last time that this move had been used, only with the help of Charizard, who had at that time only been a Charmander, had been able to stop it. Could he keep it under control? Ash sighed, knowing that it was his only chance to win.

Ash then looked over at Primeape, who looked like he knew exactly what Ash was thinking and nodded reassuringly.

"You ready, Primeape?" Ash asked. Primeape nodded eagerly. "Alright then! Use Thrash!"

Primeape then looked towards his foes and began to stomp around angrily. Then, it began to run like a maniac towards the surprised Throh and Sawk and began punching and kicking them repeatedly.

"Throh, Sawk, grab it and hold it down!" Kendo yelled in shock as he watched his Pokémon, who were clearly taking a beating.

Throh and Sawk then both got on either side of the Pig Monkey Pokémon, grabbed him, and held him down. Primeape struggled to break free, but to no avail.

"Primeape, it's okay! Just use Meditate!" Ash said to calm it down.

Primeape's rage dissipated and he then closed his eyes and began to meditate.

* * *

><p>"What's that going to do?" Max thought out loud. "Throh and Sawk have a hold of Primeape and Ash has it <em>meditate<em>! He's doomed!"

"I wouldn't be too sure, Max," Gavin said as he looked at his cousin with a smile. This caused the young trainer to raise an eyebrow. "Ash knows exactly what he's doing."

"Piiii-chu!" Pichu nodded as it sat in Gavin's lap, still wearing the Focus Band.

* * *

><p>'<em>What's he doing?<em>' Kendo thought as he watched the meditating Primeape. Then, suddenly, he heard Ash yell, "Now, Scrafty, use Giga Impact!"

"WHAT!" Kendo exclaimed loudly with shock.

A yellow-orange energy covered Scrafty's body. Next, a purple energy sphere surrounded it and started spiraling around it. Then, Scrafty jumped into the air and started plunging towards the three other Pokémon.

"Primeape, use Dig!" Ash commanded.

Primeape, its strength enhanced by the meditation, grabbed Throh and Sawk and knocked their heads together. Then, it quickly dug underground just in time to get back to the other side of the field before Scrafty's impact with Kendo's Pokémon.

The impact caused a cloud of dust to form over the field. When it cleared, Scrafty and Primeape could be seen still standing while Throh and Sawk were both knocked out.

"Throh and Sawk are unable to battle!" The referee announced to the audience. "Primeape and Scrafty are the winners! The victory goes to Ash Ketchum, the challenger!"

* * *

><p>"That was awesome, guys!" Ash managed to get out before he was tackled to the ground by a red blur with brown hair.<p>

"You…were…amazing!" May said as she planted a kiss onto the trainer's lips. This lasted for almost a minute before the two both realized that everyone was staring with a few chuckles from the guys. Their laughter was soon extinguished, however.

"Yow!" Max, Meowth, Pichu and Pikachu yelped as they rubbed their aching ears. Even though Gavin, Brock, Tracey, and Gary were still snickering, Misty and Dawn soon put a stop to that.

Tracey, Brock, and Gary were soon seen sulking in the corner with red hand marks on their faces, all getting a cold stare from Misty, leaving Gavin to deal with Dawn.

"What are you gonna do?" Gavin hesitantly asked the furious-looking Dawn.

"You'll see in a minute," Dawn said flatly as she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out to the courtyard outside.

"AVENGE ME!" Gavin yelled as they went out the door. Ash snickered for a moment, but stopped after a colder stare from May.

Kendo then walked up to Ash and said, "Congratulations, Ash on beating me. That was a great battle. As proof of your winning, I will now present you with the Palm Badge!"

Ash was then handed a piece of metal that he had seen previously in Paul's badge case. It was tan in color, shaped like a palm that would be used in a karate chop.

"Wow, thank you," Ash said gratefully.

He then made a pose, holding the badge in the air and yelled, "I just won the Palm Badge!"

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu said, holding a peace sign with his two fingers in the air.

* * *

><p>As everyone walked out, they were all congratulating Ash for winning the badge. They stopped, however, when something caught their gaze.<p>

Gavin's back was pushed up against the wall, and everyone could see his lips currently in contact with a certain blue-haired coordinator.

This caused the other guys to become outraged.

"HOW COME _HE_ GETS THE BEST PUNISHMENT!" Brock, Gary, and Tracey yelled, causing the others to laugh.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at the edge of a large lake, a man wearing a black hat and a black cloak with a black bird-like creature on his shoulder stood there, watching a small cloud of black fog at the other side of the lake start to slowly extend towards the town behind him.<p>

"I guess that I will be seeing you soon," The man said softly to a nonexistent listener. "My old friend."

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 17: "The Mysterious Knight of Vayona Town! Who's That Pok<span>__é__mon?"_- Ash and the others, after watching Ash win the Palm Badge, learn about a mysterious Pokémon vigilante that has been protecting the town from criminals. However, they may need this Pokémon's help after Team Rocket, who in an effort to try and capture this mysterious Pokémon, injure almost everyone in the group and kidnap May and Pikachu! Ash is the now the only one that can save her, but he'll need the help of the mysterious vigilante! Will Ash be able to work with the Pokémon vigilante in order to save the two that he loves most? And just who is this mysterious Pokémon? Stay tuned to find out!

**Hope you readers liked it! By the way, a bit of a challenge for the readers. Anyone that can guess who the mysterious Pokemon vigilante that's in the next chapter is will be mentioned at the end of the next chapter and will be receiving infinite props! Just put the guess in your review or PM me! So, read & review! See ya next time!**


	17. Chapter 17

**The new chapter! Let's see who gets the infinite props! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 17: "The Mysterious Knight of Vayona Town! Who's That Pokémon?"_

"Huuuuuuuh," Gavin yawned as he walked down the stairs to the lobby of the Pokémon Center. Pichu, who had finally taken off the Focus Band, sat upon his shoulder.

Gavin was still thinking about the certain event that had occurred just yesterday. It had happened after Dawn had dragged him outside for his "punishment" for laughing at his cousin.

* * *

><p>(Flashback)<p>

"_AVENGE ME!" Gavin yelled as Dawn dragged him out the door of the gym and into the courtyard._

_Neither of them said a word as they walked towards the edge of the courtyard, next to a brick wall. Dawn stood with her back to Gavin, who now felt uneasy._

_ "Uh, Dawn, if it's any consolation, I feel bad for laughing at my cousin and I'm sorry," Gavin said slowly. "So, are we good?"_

_ Dawn then turned around. A mixture of anger and nervousness could be seen on her face. Gavin didn't know whether to be scared or not._

_ "Um, Dawn? Are…are you okay?" Gavin asked carefully._

_ Then, before Gavin knew it, he was being pushed up against the brick wall. Dawn had a strange look on her face, but then, she suddenly came close to the trainer and pressed her lips up against his. Gavin's eyes widened at the new sensation. He was tense for a second, but then, he closed his eyes and relaxed, returning the kiss. _

_ They stood like that for a few minutes, until they heard a couple of people yell, "HOW COME _HE_ GETS THE BEST PUNISHMENT!" This was followed by laughter. _

_ Dawn quickly broke away, her face now a deep red color, and ran away from the courtyard. _

_ "Dawn, wait!" May yelled as she and Misty ran after her, while the other guys walked over to Gavin, who was paralyzed with shock and surprise._

* * *

><p>Now, he didn't know what to do. He knew one thing, though: he had to talk to her at some point. Soon.<p>

Gavin and Pichu walked out the automatic doors and began to search for a place for their morning meditation. They found something else, however: Dawn.

She was sitting alone on a park bench in the same meditation stance that Gavin always took. Her eyes were closed, so she didn't see them walk up.

Gavin quietly walked up to her and when he got close to her, Pichu jumped off of his shoulder, ran up to Dawn, and crawled into her lap. Dawn suddenly opened her blue eyes and saw the Tiny Mouse Pokémon sitting there. Pichu gave her a smile, which in turn, caused her to smile.

"What are you doing here, Pichu?" She asked as she began to rub the little Pokémon's chin, causing Pichu to coo in comfort.

"I could ask you the same thing," Gavin said as he walked up to her.

She looked up, and when she saw who it was, her cheeks turned a slight pink and then she looked back down, avoiding his gaze.

"May I sit down?" Gavin asked. She didn't say a word and just nodded. Gavin sat down next to her in silence. The awkward silence lasted for a couple of minutes until Gavin couldn't take it anymore.

"So," He slowly began, "Uh, the weather's great today."

She turned towards him, one eyebrow raised with an amused expression on her face, and said, "Really, Gavin? That's how you open up a conversation?"

"I'd like to see you try to start a conversation in this kind of situation!" Gavin retorted.

"Okay, then." Dawn said before starting to blush a bit. "Wh-what did you think about yesterday?"

Gavin turned red and said, "Well, it was a bit…unexpected."

Dawn suddenly looked sad and ashamed.

"But!" Gavin quickly said, causing her to look back up at him. "It does make it easier to do…this."

Gavin swiftly leaned in towards her and pressed his lips to Dawn's. Dawn was surprised at first, but she soon began to relax. After a full minute of lip-to-lip combat, they broke apart and looked at each other, both of their faces completely red.

"Wow," They both said softly in unison.

"Dawn…would you go out with me some time?" Gavin asked the blunette.

"Yes, I will!" Dawn exclaimed with a smile. She practically leapt towards Gavin and the two went back to the lip combat.

'_Yes!_' Pichu said in his head as he did a fist pump in the air.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Brock had tried yet again to swoon another Nurse Joy. And as always, he failed epically due to the efforts of Misty, Max, and Croagunk.<p>

While Brock was dragged away by the trio, Gary, Tracey, Meowth, Piplup, and Pikachu were in the middle of watching Ash and May both devouring ceiling-high plates of food.

"It's amazing how those two can eat so much and not gain a single pound," Tracey commented on the couple's eating habits.

"Geez, Ashy-boy, you sure know how to pick 'em," Gary said with a smirk.

Ash and May then both gave him murderous looks of rage, causing Gary to look a bit frightened. Luckily for him, Gavin and Dawn happened to walk in just then. What really got everyone's attention was the fact that they were holding hands.

May and Misty both ran and knocked Gavin out of the way as they started bombarding Dawn with questions about what had just occurred. Gavin and Pichu, however, walked over to the table and sat down next to the other guys, who were all snickering.

"Not a word," Gavin simply said with a glare before starting to eat breakfast.

All of the sudden, they all heard a loud explosion outside.

* * *

><p>They all quickly ran outside of the Pokémon Center and saw what looked like a giant robot in the form of a Marowak. In the middle of its forehead, there was a large, red letter "R."<p>

"What's going on?" Nurse Joy asked, frightened at the sight of the mechanical behemoth.

"It's Team Rocket!" Ash yelled in an angry and annoyed tone.

They all then heard laughter coming from the robot, followed by the skull opening up to reveal three familiar faces.

"Did someone call our name?" A red-haired woman said with a sneer.

"Surely we're not to blame!" A blue-haired man said to the woman's left.

"Putting the world in devastation!"

Uniting all within the new sensation!"

"Thrusting the black dust of shadows throughout the age!"

"Blinding all with the fire of our rage!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Causing evil and chaos wherever we show!"

"Stealing Pokémon is the way we go!"

"Now say good-bye for Team Rocket's rhyme is done!"

"Mar-o-wak!" The Bone Keeper Pokémon said, pointing its bone down at the group.

"What are you guys doing now?" Misty asked furiously.

"Do you really have to ask?" Jessie said with smirk.

"Stealing your precious Pokémon, of course!" James said with an evil grin as the trio got back into the cockpit and closed it up.

"Now, let's go!" They said in unison.

"Pikachu, you ready to fight?" Ash asked his Pokémon.

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu said with fury aimed at Team Rocket.

Then, out of nowhere, a large, light green blast of energy abruptly came down on the machine's feet and caused it to slightly lose its balance. Team Rocket was shocked and they began to hurriedly push several buttons in order to try to regain their balance.

"What was that?" Ash said before he felt a twinge in the back of his mind. It was a familiar feeling, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Suddenly, however, a blue blur that appeared in front of him and the others answered his question.

* * *

><p>It was a small, blue, dog-like creature with black legs and a black torso, a blue tail, and a yellow collar around its neck. Rounded bumps were on the backs of its forepaws, and it had a black "mask"-like pattern around its deep, red eyes. It stood up on its toes, looking like it was ready to fight.<p>

"It's the Knight of Vayona Town!" Nurse Joy exclaimed.

"Huh?" The group said, now really confused.

"It's a mysterious vigilante Pokémon that has been lately stopping several crimes that have occurred here," Nurse Joy explained. "I had heard the rumors, but I never thought that they were true!"

"What Pokémon is that?" Misty asked.

"It's a Riolu!" Max answered.

Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned the enigmatic Pokémon standing before him.

"_Riolu, the Emanation Pok__é__mon. These Pok__é__mon communicate with each other using aura. Their endurance is so strong, that they have the ability to run all throughout the night._"

After hearing the word _aura_, Ash immediately remembered his adventures with Lucario in the Tree of Beginning.

"Lu-hou!" Riolu said as he now started to form a blue ball of powerful energy in between its paws and then, after it reached a certain size, threw it at the robot, putting it off balance again.

"Whoa!" Max said in shock. "Riolu used Aura Sphere! It's not supposed to be able to do that!"

"Well, Max, we've seen one before that could use Aura Sphere as well," Brock said to the astonished boy. "But I can already tell that this one's stronger than the other one."

Riolu then began to launch several Aura Spheres at the robot, making it look like it was doing a strange dance.

"Urgh, I've had enough out of you!" Jessie shrieked in rage. "James, do something!"

"Right," James said as he pushed a button. "Stun Spore Cloud Blaster!"

The robot then put its bone on its shoulder. The bone opened up, and launched a cloud of sparkling orange smoke at the group and Riolu.

"Dawn, look out!" Gavin yelled as he jumped and pushed Dawn out of the way of the cloud, along with Meowth, Pichu, and Piplup.

"Hou-hou!" Riolu said as he ran in front of Ash, May, and Pikachu. It held out its hands, and a green sphere surrounded the four of them.

Brock, Gary, and Tracey managed to push Misty, Max, Nurse Joy, and the other Pokémon out of the way, but they, plus Gavin, were engulfed in the orange cloud.

"Gavin! No!" Dawn yelled as the cloud covered the trainer.

"Pi-chu!" Pichu cried out in a scared tone to his trainer.

"Masquerain, use Gust to clear away the Stun Spore!" Max said, throwing a Pokéball into the air, causing the Eyeball Pokémon to appear and flap its wings at a high speed. This created a gust of wind that blew away the orange smoke.

The guys lay on the ground, knocked out, and unable to move. Max and the girls quickly ran to help them.

"Well, I think it's time we made our leave," Jessie said to James.

"Quite right, but first, let's get what we came here for!" James said with a sneer as he pushed a red button.

Then, a large, metal claw came out of the robot's chest and shot at Ash. Then, he felt himself being pushed out of the way, along with Riolu. They both landed on the ground, not knowing what had happened.

Then, Ash looked up and saw that the claw had grabbed May and Pikachu, and it was now swiftly pulling them in.

"Ash!" May screamed in fright as she was pulled away.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu yelled as he and May were pulled into the chest, which closed up behind them.

"MAY! PIKACHU!" Ash yelled, both scared and furious. He got up and tried to run at the robot, but jets started firing from the robot's back and it began to fly away.

"Toodle-loo!" The trio said with laughter as they flew off out of sight.

"NO!" Ash said as he fell to the ground, his eyes full of tears.

* * *

><p>Later, Ash sat outside of the emergency room, watching Nurse Joy and several Chansey treat the four of his friends who lay in the hospital beds, all whom had been temporarily paralyzed by the Stun Spore cloud that Team Rocket had blasted at them.<p>

He looked beside him and saw Max, Misty, and a few of the Pokémon trying to comfort Dawn as best as they could, but to no avail. Tears continued to run down her face as she watched Gavin lay unconscious in the hospital bed.

Ash knew how she felt. May and Pikachu had been kidnapped because they were trying to protect Ash, and now, he felt helpless. So helpless.

Misty then walked up to him and said, "Ash, I know how bad you're feeling, but don't worry, we'll find them soon."

"I can't wait that long, Misty," Ash said, tears filling up his eyes, rage burning in his heart. "I've got to find them now, before it's too late!"

Suddenly, Ash felt another twinge in the back of his mind. Then, he heard a child-like voice in his head say, "_Do you wish to find your friends?"_

He then turned around and saw Riolu standing there, staring intently at him.

"What's going on?" Misty asked.

"I think Riolu's communicating with Ash through telepathy," Max said in awe. "Back when we were traveling through the Battle Frontier, we met a Lucario that could speak telepathically, and found out that Ash may be a descendant of the Aura Guardians. He can even use Aura!"

Misty looked at Ash in disbelief and said, "Wow, you think you know a guy."

"Can you help me find them?" Ash asked the Pokémon.

"_Yes, I can use my aura to sense them,_" Riolu replied. "_I will do all that I can to help you find them._"

Ash then nodded, turned to Misty and Max and said, "I'm going with Riolu to find them. Stay here and make sure the others get better soon."

The two then shook their heads in agreement and Ash began to walk out with Riolu. However, he stopped by Dawn and said, "Don't worry. He'll be fine. I promise."

Dawn nodded and wiped some of the tears out of her eyes, feeling a bit better.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, the duo was searching the outskirts of town, Riolu trying his hardest to find May, Pikachu, and Team Rocket with his aura.<p>

Ash was also helping in the search. He had sent out Pidgeot and Charizard to fly around and see if they could see any sign of Team Rocket and their robot. So far, no luck.

'_Come on, where are you? May, Pikachu, show me a sign!_' Ash thought frantically.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, May and Pikachu had been tied up together and were now in the corner of the building that they sat in with Team Rocket asleep next to their robot.<p>

"Finally, they're asleep! Alright, Pikachu, you know what to do!" May whispered to the Electric Mouse Pokémon.

Pikachu nodded and then his tail began to give off a metallic glow.

A few moments later, Pikachu had freed them from their bindings. Now, they began to run out of the building as fast as they could.

They made it outside, but only got a few yards away before they heard a THUD behind them.

"You didn't think that you could get away from us that easily, did you?" Jessie said with a sneer from inside the Marowak robot.

"Oh, no!" May said in fear.

"Piii-kaaa-chuuuuuuu!" Pikachu yelled as he suddenly released a massive amount of yellow lightning from his cheeks at the mechanical monster.

* * *

><p>"Pidgeot, Charizard, did you find anything?" Ash asked his two airborne Pokémon. They shook their heads sadly. Then, Ash felt a tug at his leg.<p>

"_Look!"_ Riolu said, pointing in a certain direction.

Ash looked and saw yellow electricity shooting into the air in the distance.

"Pikachu!" Ash realized, recognizing the power of the attack. The four then began quickly heading towards the location of the electricity.

* * *

><p>After a minute, Pikachu couldn't keep up its attack anymore, and ceased its attack. The robot, however, didn't look like any damage had been caused to it.<p>

James laughed, saying, "Don't you know by now that we're shock-proof?"

"Oh, yeah? How about fire-proof?" A voice yelled behind May and Pikachu.

May and Pikachu quickly turned around and saw Ash and Riolu running up to them with Charizard and Pidgeotto flying in the sky above them.

"Ash!" May exclaimed happily.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu said with a smile.

"Not you!" Jessie said angrily. "Robo-wak Bone Attack!"

The robot then threw its metal bone straight towards Ash and the Pokémon. However, Riolu swiftly jumped into the air and aimed its fist, which was now enveloped in a swirling green energy, and punched the projectile, causing it to disintegrate into dust.

Now, Jessie, James, and Marowak all looked scared as the Emanation Pokémon landed gracefully back onto the ground and glared at them.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt! Charizard, use Overheat! And Pidgeot, use Hurricane!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu sent yellow electricity into the air, Charizard released a large blast of fire from his mouth, Pidgeot flapped its wings and sent a swirling tornado of wind at the robot, and Riolu joined in by shooting an extra-large Aura Sphere into the mix. The four attacks combined into a cyclone of energy, which then struck the robot, causing it to explode.

"Looks like we're blasting off again!" Team Rocket yelled as they disappeared into the distance.

* * *

><p>Later, they all made it back to the Pokémon Center and saw that Gary, Tracey, and Brock had all woken up. The only one still knocked out was Gavin. Dawn sat at his bedside, tears falling from her eyes. Pichu sat on her shoulder and Piplup sat in her lap, both looking worried.<p>

"Please be okay, please be okay," Dawn said quietly as more and more tears slid down her face. "I…I…I love you!"

And just as she was about to cry some more, Dawn heard a voice say, "I'm glad somebody was worried about me."

She then opened her eyes and saw Gavin's brown eyes wide open. She smiled and more tears continued to fall out her eyes as her spirit lifted.

"Pi-chu-pi!" Pichu said happily as it jumped down off of Dawn's shoulder and embraced his trainer.

"I'm glad to see you, too, buddy," Gavin said as he hugged his partner.

He then looked up at Dawn, who was now crying more than ever.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" Dawn said as she leaned down and embraced him.

* * *

><p>Ash and May smiled at the sight of Gavin and Dawn in an embrace in the hospital bed. Then, Ash felt yet another tug at his leg. He looked down and saw Riolu there, looking up at him intently.<p>

"_For a long time, I have searched for a trainer as brave as you, Ash Ketchum,_" Riolu said to him with a bow. "_I wish to join you on your adventures_."

Ash smiled and said, "Alright then! Pokéball, go!"

He then threw a Pokéball at Riolu and the Pokémon disappeared in a flash of red light. The ball wiggled a couple of times, but then it clicked and sparks flew out.

Ash picked up the Pokéball, held it into the air and said, "Wow, I just caught…a Riolu!"

"Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu said, holding up his trademark peace sign.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 18: "The Way to Phrazei City! Aura Guides the Way!"<span>_- Now that Ash has gotten his first badge, and a new Pokémon to boot, the gang is now heading for Phrazei City, the site of the May and Dawn's next Pokémon Contest! However, after a serious of forks in the road coupled with many wrong turns, they've become completely lost! Again! Now, it's up to Riolu and the power of aura to get them on the right track! Can they get back to the right path? We'll soon see on the next episode of Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**WOW! AWESOME CHAPTER! Riolu has joined the team! Now it's time to mention those who got the infinte props!**

**1) First off, the first set of infinite props go to Nightlover2, who guessed that the vigilante had something to do aura!**

**2) Then, infinite props to Jr. Dingo, who was the first to guess Riolu!**

**3) And finally, Infinite props to Purrich, who also guessed Riolu!**

**Also, I want to wish a happy birthday to my fellow fanfic writer, Ischys! Happy Birthday!  
><strong>

**Thanks, guys! Great job! Continue to read and review! See ya next time!  
><strong>


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey, guys! Sorry it took so long to do this chapter! Had other stuff on my mind, plus a few exams! Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon!**

_Chapter 18: "The Way to Phrazei City! Aura Guides the Way!"_

It was a bright and beautiful morning as Ash and his friends traveled down the pathway through the plains. All around them was green grass, a couple of trees, and a bunch of Pokémon running around and flying through the air.

Ash stood at the front of the group with Pikachu on his shoulder and May by his side. Behind them were Gavin and Dawn, both holding hands with Pichu and Piplup on their shoulders; Gary and Tracey, who both stood on either side of Misty, glaring at each other; and in the back were Max, Meowth, and Brock, the former two looking confused about the couples and the rivalries, and the later looking jealous and a bit angry that he still didn't have a girlfriend.

Now that Gavin, Brock, Tracey, and Gary had recovered from their temporary paralysis that they had had yesterday because of Team Rocket, they were all feeling much better.

At this point, they were all on their way to Phrazei City, where they had heard a contest was being held the very next day. So, they had set out immediately that morning to get there as soon as they could.

"Hey, guys," Brock suddenly said to the others. "Why don't we stop for lunch?"

"Sure!" Everyone agreed.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, they all had set up an area for Brock to make the lunch. Ash and Gary had gone earlier and gotten some firewood, the girls had gotten some water from a nearby river, and now, they were all waiting on the food.<p>

"Hey, Dawn, while we wait, why don't we practice our combinations for tomorrow's contest?" May suggested.

"Alright, then," Dawn nodded. She then took out a Pokéball, threw it into the air and yelled, "Okay, Mamoswine, spotlight!"

In a flash of light, the Twin Tusk Pokémon landed with a thud onto the grass.

"Mamo!" It bellowed, showing off its power.

"Blaziken, take the stage!" May shouted as she threw a Pokéball into the air as well.

In another flash of light, the Blaze Pokémon appeared next to Mamoswine.

"Blaze!" It said in a deep voice, its wrists sprouting flames.

As the two of them began to practice their combinations, Ash got up, looked over at Pikachu, and said, "I think I'd better practice as well."

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu nodded.

He then took out a Pokéball, tossed it into the air and said, "Riolu, I choose you!"

In a few seconds, Ash's newest Pokémon appeared in the air and then landed gracefully, similar to a martial arts master.

"_You called, Master_?" A voice said in Ash's head.

"Uh, yeah," Ash said, surprised at the nickname that the small blue Pokémon had given him. "Let's practice some of your moves."

Riolu nodded. Ash then turned to Tracey and said, "Hey, Tracey! Could you be our sparring partner?"

Tracey looked up from his sketchpad and nodded. He then ran over and asked, "What kind of practice match do you want to do?"

Ash pondered for a moment and then said, "A double battle."

"Okay," Tracey said, turning to look at Max. "Hey, Max, can you referee?"

"Sure!" Max said excitedly. He then ran over so that they could begin to practice.

Once May and Dawn finished their practice, everyone but Brock, who was still working on lunch, sat down to watch the match.

"This will be a double battle between Ash and Tracey," Max said, remembering what Brock had taught him about refereeing. "This is a practice match, so go easy, guys. The match will be over when I decide that the Pokémon have had enough. Please show your Pokémon!"

"Riolu, Pikachu, you're up!" Ash said to his two Pokémon. Pikachu and Riolu nodded and then ran in front of Ash.

"Scyther, Dodrio, go!" Tracey said, throwing two Pokéballs into the air.

In flash of light, the elderly Scyther appeared onto the grass next to an unfamiliar face. It was a large, brown bird-like creature with three heads attached to three long necks. Each head had a large, sharp beak and a black V-shaped crest. Their eyes were triangular, and each head seemed to represent a different emotion: joy, anger, and sadness. It had long legs with sharp talons and it had three large pink tail feathers.

"Since when did you get a Dodrio, Tracey?" Misty asked.

"Oh, I had it even before I went on that journey with you and Ash in the Orange Islands," Tracey answered to his surprised friends. "I had left it at home at the time, but I had my parents send it to me before we all left for Amaro."

"Dodrio, huh?" Gavin said, taking out his Pokédex.

'_Dodrio, the Triple Bird Pok__é__mon. What this Pok__é__mon lacks in flight ability, it makes up for in its power speed and jumping ability. Each of its three heads represents one of three emotions: joy, anger, and sadness._'

"Then it's Pikachu and Riolu versus Scyther and Dodrio!" Max announced to everyone. "Let the battle begin!"

"Both of you use Quick Attack!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu and Riolu both began to run swiftly at their opponents with silvery-white streaks coming out from behind them.

"Use Quick Attack as well!" Tracey ordered.

Scyther began to fly towards Pikachu while Dodrio began to run at Riolu, both with silvery-white streaks coming out from behind them.

The four slammed into each other and then they broke apart and went back to their earlier positions.

"Scyther, use Slash!" Tracey yelled.

Scyther then hovered over towards Pikachu, its blade-like forearm glowing a bright white glow and ready to slash.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash instructed.

Pikachu jumped into the air and swung its metallic-shining tail at Scyther's oncoming blade. They met in mid-air, sparks flying until they broke the attack and went back to their partners.

"Dodrio, use Drill Peck!" Tracey shouted.

Dodrio started running towards Riolu, its beaks spinning like drills.

"Riolu, use Detect!" Ash commanded.

As Dodrio began trying to peck it, Riolu closed its eyes and then began dodging the attacks flawlessly.

"Now, use Drain Punch!" Ash yelled.

Riolu's fist became surrounded by a green energy with yellow streaks and then it punched the middle head in the face.

Dodrio stumbled back a few yards and then shook it off.

"Scyther, Dodrio, let's finish this up! Use X-Scissor and Brave Bird!" Tracey shouted.

Scyther crossed its scythes and they started to glow light purple. It then started to fly at a fast pace towards Pikachu, crossing the scythes in an "X" pattern. Dodrio began running at a high speed towards Riolu, its body bursting into flames and then becoming surrounded by a blue aura.

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle and Riolu, use Mach Punch!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu's body became surrounded by yellow electricity as it began running towards Scyther. Riolu's fist began glowing light blue as it ran at Dodrio at an unbelievable speed.

The attacks collided in an explosion of black smoke. As the smoke cleared, the four Pokémon stood there, all panting and a little worn out.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Max yelled in shock. "That's it! It's over! It's over!"

The four Pokémon sighed in relief. They then started to breathe easier.

"Okay, guys, lunchtime!" Brock yelled.

As everyone walked over to the table that they had set up, Gavin murmured so that only Dawn and Pichu could hear him, "If this is how Ash practices, I'd hate to see him in his fiercest battle."

* * *

><p>Several hours after they had all finished lunch, the group was back on the road. Everything looked like it was going to go smoothly until they arrived at a fork in the road.<p>

"Uh, Brock? Which way do we go?" May asked.

Brock looked at his Pokégear and said, "Uh, right."

So they all went right.

* * *

><p>"Brock, I think we're lost," Ash said as they all walked through a thick wooded area.<p>

"Nah, we're okay," Brock said, not looking up from his Pokégear.

Max sighed and muttered, "This is not going to end well."

* * *

><p>A couple more hours later, the woods had gotten thicker and thicker, and it was starting to get dark.<p>

"Um…," Brock said with a confused look on his face, "I don't think this place is on the map."

"Oh, don't tell me that we're lost," Misty said exasperatedly.

"Okay, I won't tell you," Brock said, causing the others to give a huge sigh.

Dawn and May both huddled up to their boyfriends, who grinned and gave thumbs-up signs to the other guys.

"There's gotta be some way out of here," Max said with a bit of worry.

Gary thought about it for a moment, and then his eyes widened.

"Hey, Ash, doesn't Riolu have the ability to sense aura?" He asked the trainer.

Ash smiled and said, "Oh, yeah. Riolu, come on out!"

Ash threw a Pokéball into the air and the Emanation Pokémon appeared in front of them.

"_Yes, Master_?" It said telepathically.

"Uh, you don't have to call me Master," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head.

"_Okay, Master,_" Riolu said in response.

"Um, yeah," Ash said, changing the subject. "Riolu, we're lost. Can you use your aura to get us out of these woods?"

Riolu nodded and then closed its eyes. Its ears then lifted up, it pointed in a certain direction, and it began to run in that direction. The teens all got excited and then they all began after the small, blue Pokémon.

* * *

><p>After a long while, they finally found their way back to the fork in the road where their troubles began.<p>

"Thanks, Riolu," Ash said as he held up its Pokéball and shot a red light from it. Riolu saluted as it disappeared in a flash of red light.

"So which way do we go?" Brock said, trying to be funny.

"LEFT!" Everyone else yelled angrily.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, they found their way to Phrazei City, with Misty, Max, and Meowth still glaring at Brock.<p>

They made their way to the Pokémon Center and then, while Brock and Tracey went to get a room and Misty, Max, and Gary went to get dinner for everyone, the others went to the registration desk for tomorrow's contest.

"We're here to register for the contest tomorrow," May said, showing the man their information.

"Yes, but I should probably tell you that this contest is a couple's contest," The man said, causing May and Dawn's eyes to widen.

"Chu," Pikachu said as he face palmed himself. ("Of course.")

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 19: "Phrazei City's Couple's Contest! Ash &amp; May V.S. Gavin &amp; Dawn!"<span>_- The group has finally arrived in Phrazei City for the contest, when they found out that it's a couple's contest! And all of their contest rivals are there! Plus, May and Dawn are now in an argument, both thinking that their own team will win! Which team will win the contest? Find out next time on Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**Yeah, not my best chapter. Again, had a lot going on my mind for the past week and a half. Like the new Heroes of Olympus book by Rick Riordan, "The Son of Neptune," awesome book by the way! I'm thinking about working on a new Percy Jackson fanfic in addition to writing this! I've already started the first chapter, and once I finish it, I'll then decide. Hope you liked the chapter! Read and Review!**

**Oh, and one more thing: A challenge! Which team should win next chapter's contest? Ash and May or Gavin and Dawn? Vote on it in reviews or private message me! So let's get voting!  
><strong>


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey, guys! Sorry it took so long! I hope you like this chapter! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 19: "Phrazei City's Couples' Contest! Ash & May V.S. Gavin & Dawn!"_

(Flashback)

_ While some of the others went to get dinner and the rooms for the night, Ash, May, Gavin, and Dawn went down to contest registration area where a man sat behind a desk. _

"_We're here to register for the contest tomorrow," May said, showing the man their contest passes and information. _

"_Yes, but I should probably tell you that this contest is a couple's contest," The man said, causing May and Dawn's eyes to widen in shock. _

"_Chu," Pikachu said as he face palmed himself. ("Of course.")_

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>Ash and Gavin looked around for a means to escape as they heard this news. It was too late, however, for May and Dawn had come up with an idea.<p>

"Hey, since it's a couple's contest, why don't we just team up with our _boyfriends_ for this contest," May said to her friend with a sinister grin.

"Yeah, I'm sure that they would _love_ to perform with us," Dawn agreed, with an equally evil smile.

They both turned around to see Ash and Gavin slowly inching towards the exit. May and Dawn then went and grabbed the two of them by the shoulders, causing them to both tense up at the touch.

They were turned around to where they could begin a stare down with their respectable girlfriends.

"Don't you want to perform with us?" May said, giving him her signature puppy-dog look: large eyes and a quivering lip, completed with a clasping of her hands in pleading.

"Yeah, don't you love us?" Dawn added, giving them the same puppy-dog look.

In their minds, Ash and Gavin both cursed this ability that girls had. They both slumped over, sighed, and then said, "Okay, we'll do it."

"Yay!" The girls said in unison, giving each other a high-five.

"Now Ash and I are totally going to win!" May said happily.

"Yeah…wait, what!" Dawn yelled, her expression going from happy to angry. "How do you know that Gavin and I won't win?"

"Well, Ash at least has participated in a contest before, while Gavin has not," May said as-a-matter-of-factly. "Therefore, we have more experience on our side!"

"That doesn't mean anything!" Dawn shrieked. At this point, May and Dawn looked like they were about to go in an all-out-war.

"This cannot end well," Gavin muttered so that only Ash and the Pokémon could hear him. They all nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>Eventually, Ash and Gavin were able to separate the two raging coordinators with the help of the other guys. Then, they all ate dinner, May and Dawn separately, of course, and soon went to bed.<p>

The next morning, May and Dawn each went off with their boyfriends and practiced for the contest independently. Ash and Gavin had earlier decided that while practicing, they were going to try and talk to each of the girls about last night's "incident."

However, both of them were the furthest from forgiving one another.

* * *

><p>Ash tried his luck when he and May were practicing their contest appeals.<p>

"May, I really think that you should go and talk to Dawn. I mean, you guys are friends!"

"I'm sorry, Ash, but I can't talk to that blue-haired annoyance right now," May said stubbornly after they finished practicing their appeals. "Now come on, we're not gonna beat them if we don't keep practicing!"

Ash sighed and got ready to practice the next appeal.

* * *

><p>Gavin tried talking to Dawn while they were going shopping for the outfit that Gavin was going to wear for the contest.<p>

"But, Dawn," Gavin said exasperatedly as Dawn continued to pile him up with clothes for him to try on. "I really think that you should talk to May. You guys are friends! You shouldn't be fighting!"

"No. I have nothing to say to that bandana-wearing airhead," Dawn replied flatly as she looked through the clothes racks. "Now, go into the changing room, and I don't want to hear another word until you've tried on all of those clothes! Come on, hurry up!"

"Yes, ma'am," Gavin sighed as he walked to the changing room with Pichu on his shoulder.

Then, when he was sure that she was out of earshot, he leaned over to Pichu and mumbled, "Word," which caused Pichu to snicker.

* * *

><p>Later, in the afternoon, everyone piled into the contest arena, waiting expectantly for the contest to start.<p>

"Welcome, everyone to the Phrazei City Couples' Contest!" Jillian yelled ecstatically into the microphone, causing everyone to cheer.

"And here are our judges: Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, and Phrazei City's own Nurse Joy!" She said, gesturing towards the three prominent judges.

"You know me, so let's get this contest started!" She said, raising her fist into the air.

* * *

><p>"I don't know who I like better! Nurse Joy or Jillian!" Brock said as ogled the two women respectively.<p>

"I think I know," Max said, pointing his finger in the air.

"Who?" Misty asked.

"Croagunk," Max answered smugly.

"Croagunk?" Misty repeated with a confused expression. "What are you…"

Then, they heard a yelp beside them, followed by the spiky-haired breeder falling to the floor. They then just watched with as the small, purple frog Pokémon dragged his trainer away.

"Ohhh," Misty said understandingly. "Now I get it."

Pikachu, Piplup, Pichu, and Meowth chuckled at Brock's misfortune.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the locker room, all of the coordinators were getting ready for the contest. What was funny was that all of May and Dawn's rivals were also competing in this contest. Unfortunately, they were too busy gloating about how they had all already gotten their first ribbon.<p>

"My, my, little May," Harley said tauntingly. "You are far behind aren't you, girl?"

"Shut up, Harley!" May yelled angrily. Ash put his hand on her shoulder, and then she calmed down.

"Thanks, Ash," She smiled lovingly. This caused both Drew and Harley's faces to go red with anger.

* * *

><p>"So, are you ready to lose, <em>Dee Dee<em>?" Ursula was heard saying at the other side of the room to Dawn.

"You wish, Ursula!" Dawn said with anger. She looked up at Gavin, who smiled affectionately in return. That calmed Dawn down really quick. Kenny and Ursula's faces went as red as Drew and Harley's.

* * *

><p>It turned out that Nando had been Solidad's partner all along, and he showed Ash and Gavin his first badge while Kelly and Zoey helped May and Dawn respectively with their hair.<p>

"There seems to be some tension between you and Dawn," Kelly said so that only May could hear her.

"She's just being a snob," May said as she looked at herself in the mirror. "She thinks that she can beat me, just because she defeated me in the Wallace Cup."

"Still," Kelly said, finishing up May's hair, "You two are going to be partners in the other contests, so unless you want to just drop out, you're going to have to make up with her.

May didn't say another word, however, and just sat there in silence.

* * *

><p>"Dawn, what's up with you and May today?" Zoey asked as she perfected Dawn's ponytail.<p>

"Oh, she was being stuck up last night, saying that she and Ash were going to win," Dawn said, still fuming.

"Dawn, it doesn't matter which of you wins," Zoey said sternly. "You two are best friends, and no matter what happens, you still have to work as partners in the other contests. You should just be the bigger person and say you're sorry."

Dawn just grunted and continued to stare at her reflection in the mirror.

* * *

><p>Later, after many appeals by the coordinator couples, including their rivals, it was now Ash and May's turn to appeal.<p>

May was wearing her usual Arabian-style contest dress, while Ash was wearing the clothes that he had worn at the Wallace Cup. He wore a brown tuxedo and a brown fedora.

"Beautifly, take the stage!" May shouted as she threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a burst of flowers, the Butterfly Pokémon appeared mid-air.

"Leavanny, I choose you!" Ash yelled as he threw a Pokéball to the stage.

In a burst of confetti, the Nurturing Pokémon appeared onto the stage.

"Leavanny, use Leaf Storm!" Ash commanded.

Leavanny raised its arms into the air and its body became outlined in turquoise energy. Then, a bunch of leaves appeared around it and spread out into the air.

"Beautifly, use Silver Wind!" May ordered.

Beautifly flapped its wings and a wind of silver crescents was released into the air. They hit the leaves and caused them to burst into green and silver sparkles.

The crowd watched the sparkles in awe.

"Now, Beautifly, use Morning Sun!" May instructed.

Beautifly's body glowed white and then yellow rays of light shone outward from its body. The yellow rays caused the green and silver sparkles to shimmer and create a golden hue throughout the stadium.

"Leavanny, let's finish it off with Energy Ball!" Ash yelled.

Leavanny opened its mouth and a light green ball of energy appeared in front of it. It then launched the ball into the air, and the golden hue caused the ball to look like the sun when it rises.

The crowd was in awe at the sight of this combination, and then, after the appeal disappeared, they all clapped wildly.

* * *

><p>"Ash and May did pretty well," Tracey commented as Ash and May waved to the crowd.<p>

"Yeah," Max nodded in agreement. "But I wonder what Gavin and Dawn have planned for their appeal."

* * *

><p>"What a great performance!" Jillian said as Ash and May went back to the locker room. "Now, let's get ready for our next team, Gavin and Dawn!"<p>

Dawn ran out to the stage, wearing her usual pink contest dress, with Gavin behind her. Gavin was wearing a white tuxedo with a black bowtie, and for the first time, he wasn't wearing his signature sunglasses on his head.

"Buneary, spotlight!" Dawn yelled as she tossed a Pokéball into the air.

The brown bunny-like Pokémon appeared onto the stage in the midst of a bunch of musical notes.

"Axew, come on out!" Gavin shouted as he threw a Pokéball to the stage.

The small, green dragon Pokémon appeared next to Buneary amongst a shower of stars.

"Buneary, use Ice Beam!" Dawn instructed.

A light blue ball of light appeared in front of Buneary's mouth and then, it fired onto the stage, creating a large block of ice in the middle of the stadium.

"Axew, use Outrage!" Gavin commanded.

Axew's eyes began to glow red and its body became outlined by a red aura. It then ran towards the ice block and started punching, kicking, and slashing at it with intense power.

After it finally stopped attacking the block of ice, it was shaped like a heart.

"Now, Buneary, use Dizzy Punch!" Dawn ordered.

"Axew, use Dragon Rage!" Gavin yelled.

Buneary's ears began to glow multicolored and then, it began to rapidly punch the heart. It then jumped out of the way when Axew launched a black-and-blue dragon-shaped blast at the sculpture. The ice then broke apart and then created a heart-shaped shower of light.

"Wow, what an amazing appeal!" Jillian said as the crowd cheered.

* * *

><p>"How is it that Gavin's able to do things well on the first try like Ash?" Misty thought out loud.<p>

"It's probably some kind of family connection ploy for the story's overall appeal," Meowth answered.

**(Meowth, stop breaking the fourth wall!)**

"What was that?" Gary asked.

"Nothin'," Meowth said quickly.

Pikachu, Piplup, and Pichu decided at that point to move a few feet away from the Scratch Cat Pokémon.

* * *

><p>After the rest of the appeals were finished, the top eight teams were chosen for the battle round, including our heroes and their rivals.<p>

"Yay! They all made it!" Misty exclaimed.

"Yeah, but it might not be such a good thing if May and Dawn have to battle each other," Brock said with his arms crossed.

They all gulped with nervousness.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, it was time for the final battle of the battle round. The good news was that Ash, May, Gavin, and Dawn won all of their battles. The bad news was that now, they had to battle each other.<p>

"And now we're at the final battle of the contest!" Jillian announced as the crowd cheered for the battlers that stood on either side of the battlefield.

It was tense down on the field as May and Dawn stared each other down. If looks could kill, they would have killed each other, and then they would have took Ash, Gavin, and everyone else in the stadium down with them.

"It's Ash and May versus Gavin and Dawn!" She continued as crowd watched with interest. "Now, five minutes on the clock! Begin!"

"Blaziken, take the stage!" May shouted.

"Totodile, I choose you!" Ash yelled.

"Mamoswine, spotlight!" Dawn cried.

"Pichu, you're up!" Gavin said loudly.

Blaziken, Totodile, Mamoswine, and Pichu all appeared onto the field.

"Blaziken, use Fire Spin!" May ordered.

Blaziken opened its mouth and released a cyclone of flame towards Mamoswine.

"Mamoswine, use Ice Shard!" Dawn instructed.

A glowing blue ball of ice appeared in front of Mamoswine's mouth and then he launched it towards Blaziken's attack. The two attacks met in mid-air and turned into a cloud of steam.

"Totodile, use Water Gun!" Ash commanded.

"Pichu, use Thundershock!" Gavin directed.

Totodile fired a powerful stream of water at Pichu, while Pichu released a blast of yellow electricity at Totodile's attack, causing the attacks to sizzle out.

"Totodile, use Scary Face!" Ash yelled.

Totodile made a scary face at Mamoswine and Pichu. Mamoswine started freaking out while Pichu just yawned. Mamoswine ran around the field, completely scared, causing the other Pokémon to have to try and get out of the way.

"Mamoswine, calm down!" Dawn shouted frantically.

"Pichu, use Echoed Voice to get Mamoswine to calm down!" Gavin commanded.

Pichu rolled up both of its ears and then let loose a loud sonic shout that spread throughout the entire stadium. Everyone held their ears to protect them from the loud noise, but Mamoswine's fear from Totodile's Scary Face dissipated.

"Are you okay, Mamoswine?" Dawn asked.

Mamoswine nodded and then faced its opponents angrily.

"Okay then, Take Down!" Dawn yelled.

Mamoswine's body was surrounded by an orange aura as it charged towards Blaziken and Totodile.

"Blaziken, use Overheat!" May shouted.

Blaziken's body turned a faint red and it then fired a white fire with red-and-orange flame spiraling around it at the oncoming Pokémon.

"Pichu, quick, jump on Mamoswine's back and use Light Screen!" Gavin instructed.

Pichu swiftly ran and climbed up onto the stampeding Pokémon. A golden cube of light energy then surrounded the two of them, blocking the powerful fire attack.

"Blaziken, look out!" May screamed.

Then, as Mamoswine got closer, Totodile suddenly ran out in front of Blaziken, standing strong without flinching about the upcoming attack.

"Totodile, what are you doing?" Ash yelled out.

"To-to!" Totodile yelled. Its body then began glowing white and started changing shape.

When its body stopped glowing, Totodile was larger, the yellow stripe that it had had before had now covered most of its body and its lower jaw, it had red spikes on its head, back, and tail, and it had teeth sticking out on each side of its large jaw.

"Croco-naw!" It cried in rage.

* * *

><p>"Totodile evolved into Croconaw!" Brock exclaimed, stating the obvious.<p>

Max took out his Pokédex and scanned the new Pokémon.

'_Croconaw, the Big Jaw Pokémon, and the evolved form of Totodile. Once it bites down on something, it won't let go until it loses its fangs. But new fangs grow back quickly._'

* * *

><p>"Wow, Totodile, you evolved into Croconaw!" Ash said, amazed at the sight of his newly evolved Pokémon.<p>

Croconaw nodded and then, all of the sudden, a blue aura outlined its body. It punched into the ground, causing it to crack up, and a large rock to land in its arms. It threw the rock at the Light Screen, shattering it completely.

"Awesome, you learned Superpower!" Ash said, recognizing the attack.

"Great! Now, Blaziken, use Flare Blitz!" May shouted.

Blaziken's body became surrounded red-orange fire and it then began charging towards the stampeding Mamoswine.

"Mamoswine, prepare an Ice Shard!" Dawn yelled.

An Ice Shard appeared in front of Mamoswine's mouth.

"Now! Ice Armor!" Dawn cried.

"What!" May said, confused.

"Uh-oh," Ash said upon realization.

Mamoswine bit down on the ball of ice and then, spikes of ice appeared all over it.

Pichu quickly jumped off just as the two collided in the middle of the battlefield, creating an explosion of black smoke and steam.

As the smoke cleared, the buzzer went off, signaling the time limit.

"Time's up!" Jillian announced to the audience. "And the winner is…"

Everyone looked to the screen. Both teams had the exact same amount of points left.

"Wow! It's a tie! Both teams win the ribbon!" Jillian exclaimed.

* * *

><p>The four walked over to each other before they received the ribbon.<p>

"Um, Dawn," May said, looking down at the ground nervously, "I'm sorry about…well, you know."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, too," Dawn said with a soft smile. She then held out her hand and said, "Friends?"

"The best!" May answered, and then, they shook hands.

"Well, I'm glad that's over," Ash said, relieved.

At that point, Pikachu ran up to him and jumped onto his shoulder.

"Pika-pika-pika-chu!" Pikachu said with a peace sign. (I love it when everything works out in the end!")

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>"Chapter 20: Break Time! QA with the Writer!"_- Next chapter, we're gonna take a break from Ash's adventures through the Amaro Region to answer some of your questions about this story! Just send me any question through reviews or PM that you have about this fanfic, and me and my trusty partner, Pichu, will try to answer them! See ya next time!

**What a great contest battle! Hope you liked it! Read & Review!  
><strong>

**Again, next chapter is going to be a Question/Answer session with me and Pichu. We're going to already answer questions that have already been asked before and ones that we anticpate, but if you have any more questions that you want to see answered in the next chapter, just put it the review or PM me! We'll put your author name and question down, and we're also taking requests on things that you think should happen in the future of this fanfic. So, ask me anything, and I'll see ya next time!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey, guys! New chapter! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 20: "Break Time! Q/A with the Writer!"_

Hey, guys! It's me, PichuAuraGuardian18! Now, lately, you've had the chance to read all about the new adventures of Ash and his friends through the Amaro Region, where he has encountered some of his and his friends' most powerful rivals (with still more to come), new gym challenges, friends old and new, enemies old and new, and new adventures! Plus, all of his Pokémon are all back together to work to win the Amaro League.

However, some of you all might still have some questions about the story so far. So, at this time, I have chosen to take a one-chapter break before some more action happens to answer the questions that you have asked and the ones that I have anticipated that might eventually be asked.

Helping me to answer these questions is my close, personal friend, and one of the story's main characters, Pichu!

(Applause can be heard as the small electric mouse Pokémon walks in and sits at the table. *Note that for this chapter, we are making it so that we are all able to understand what Pichu is saying.)

"What's up, everybody?" Pichu said with a wave.

So, Pichu, how've you been?

"Pretty good. Although I'm still recovering from that contest battle from the previous chapter," Pichu answered, turning his head from side to side as if he was looking for something. "So, is there any way that I can get a ketchup bottle over here?"

_FACE PALM! _What is it with you and ketchup?

Pichu looked at me with wide eyes and said, "It's the nectar of life! It's the drink of Arceus! It's…"

Okay! I get it! I get it! Let's just get to answering some of the questions.

"How many questions do we have to answer anyways?" Pichu asked.

(I pull out a large scroll and unravel it. The list spreads all of the way down the hallway and to the kitchen.)

Pichu looked scared and shocked at the same time, holding its hands to his head and screaming, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Are you kidding me?"

Yes.

(Pichu wiped the sweat off of his forehead, looking relieved.)

Actually, this is just half of them.

(Pichu at this point fainted.)

Pichu? Oh, well, I'll just answer the first question without him.

* * *

><p>When I posted the first chapter, I got a question from <em>GaliCat<em> that asked, **"What is Meowth doing by Ash's side?"**

This is probably one of the most asked questions about my fanfic. This also will take the longest to answer. You see, the story that you read now wasn't actually the original version of this story.

Originally, I had been writing this story in July, but I didn't post it, as it was more for my enjoyment to take my mind off of work at the time. Also, it was originally called "Pokémon: League of Legends." That was, until I found out that that had already been used as a title.

Some people might think that it doesn't sound like such a big deal. I, however, wanted to have an original title to go along with my original fanfic.

So, I deleted the original and started completely over. Although, the first chapter, which has become the most popular, is pretty much the same as it was in the original.

Now, we get to Meowth. You see, I keep up with the show by the schedule in Japan with Serebii and Bulbapedia, and at the time, Meowth had joined up with Ash and his friends. So, I decided to put Meowth as a good guy in the story. Plus, I use him for part of the comedy relief.

I had a feeling that Meowth may have been tricking Ash and his friends in the first place, and would eventually go back to Team Rocket, which is why, when they reached the Amaro Region, I provided a backstory to show why Meowth was back with Ash and the others. He may have been with them in the show for a scheme, but some of the moments in the episodes in between Meowth joining them and then betraying them were too tender and emotionally real for every single detail to be part of the plot. Meowth has tricked them into believing that he was going to quit Team Rocket before, but this time around, it was different than those other times. Meowth had to have some regrets, even if they were small. Plus, out of the three, Meowth has more of a potential to actually quit Team Rocket and do some good.

* * *

><p>Pichu rose up slowly and said, "Ugh, what'd I miss?"<p>

Not much. Just the first question. Do you want some ketchup?

"Yes," Pichu said, a little more color in his cheeks.

Okay, I'll go get you some. While I'm gone, you can answer the next question.

"Fine," Pichu said as I walked away to get him his beloved condiment.

* * *

><p>"Back around Chapter Nine, we got a question from <em>Darkiceflame<em> that asked, **'What kind of Pok****é****mon will the new region hold? New or currently existing Pok****é****mon?'**

As the writer would probably agree, he is a writer, not a miracle worker. If we tried to come up with a bunch of new Pokémon, this story still wouldn't be done. We wouldn't even have as many chapters as we do now.

Also, after reading a lot of Pokémon fanfics, we have discovered that usually, the stories are better when they use the Pokémon that already exist. Plus, who doesn't want to see Ash use all of his older Pokémon, like Charizard and Sceptile?

Now, we're not saying that no one's going to catch any new Pokémon. As you've already seen, Ash recently caught a Riolu and Gavin got an Axew. So, don't worry, catches and evolutions will occur as the story progresses."

* * *

><p>Okay, here's your ketchup!<p>

"Hooray!" Pichu exclaimed as he snatched the bottle from me and immediately began licking up the red condiment.

_Sweat drop…_Alright, let's just…let's just get to the next question.

* * *

><p>After posting chapter 17, I got two questions from <em>PokePenguin2459<em> that asked, **"Why did you use Marowak as Meowth's replacement?" **and **"Is the Riolu in the story the same one from the DP anime?"**

To answer the first question, the reason why I used Marowak as Meowth's replacement was because it just felt right. I wanted to use a Pokémon that wasn't the same type as the ones that Team Rocket has with them in the story. So, I got to thinking, and then I remembered that Giovanni used Ground-types in the Viridian City Gym, so I thought that a Ground-type trained by the boss himself would go with Team Rocket's new serious nature.

As for Riolu, no, it is not the same one from the DP anime. Yes, it is able to use Aura Sphere, but people think of that certain Riolu too much, so I figured, it wasn't impossible for Ash to meet up with another Riolu that is exceptionally powerful, knows Aura Sphere, and is exceptionally powerful.

* * *

><p>Well, I guess we need to do the next question. Pichu, do you want to…<p>

(I look beside me and see Pichu dancing some kind of a waltz with the ketchup bottle.)

_Sweat drop_…Okay, then. I'll do it myself.

* * *

><p>A question from <em>DizzyDiana<em> asks, **"Are any of the legendaries from before going to show up?"**

Good question. I haven't completely decided on that one yet. I do have plans for a sort of movie novelization connected to League of Ultimates involving the newer legendaries. Then, I have been thinking about doing something with Jirachi, plus, there are supposed to be two or more Sinnoh legendaries in the plot of the story that have a connection with Jeremiah and the new evil team that will be premiering soon. I'm probably, though, gonna save most of the legendaries for the sequel that I have planned.

* * *

><p>"What question's next?" Pichu asked, having just finished off the bottle of ketchup.<p>

Um, let's see. Oh, it's that one from _Swagnilla-Ice-1985_.

"Ooh! I wanna answer it! I wanna answer it! Come on, let me answer it!" Pichu said, jumping up and down in my face repeatedly.

Okay, okay! You can answer it! Jeez!

"Yay!" Pichu said with a fist-pump into the air.

* * *

><p>"<em>Swagnilla-Ice-1985<em> asks, **'How did you come up with Gavin as Ash's cousin?'**

Well, it's actually based on my main man, the writer here. You see, the team that you see Gavin using in the story is the writer's team that he put together. He even has them on his White Version! Including me, with the same moves! Yeah, that's right! Reversal powers baby!

As for the cousin part, we didn't want to just use Gavin as Ash's brother, because we wanted to tie the story well with the show. Then, we thought about how I was to be his partner, and the HeartGold and SoulSilver games that came out the year before Black and White! And we all obviously knew that Johto existed even when Ash started his journey, due to Ho-oh, Togepi, and other Johto ones! So, we decided to have Gavin as Ash's cousin and have him start out in Johto.

As for the relationship with Dawn, we just don't like any of the other pairings that Dawn is in. Obviously, Ash is taken, Conway's just creepy, Paul and her don't completely match up, Barry's too hyper, and Kenny's annoying. And Gary's just a bit too old for her."

* * *

><p>Not bad, Pichu.<p>

"Thanks, now, while you answer the next question, I'm gonna go check on our mystery guests."

Pichu! You weren't supposed to…Oh, never mind! Well, since the cat's out of the bag, we're having some mystery guests from the story come in to answer some of the questions that were not asked, but we feel like you should know anyways. Anyways, on to the next question!

* * *

><p><em>Speedy-Fox-IV<em> asks, **"How long is this story going to be?"**

It really all depends. I have thought about splitting it up into arcs, kind of like the seasons in the show, but I may also just put it all together. If that's the case, it'll probably be a high amount of chapters. But, it's hard to tell, because, believe it or not, I make up all of this stuff as I go. I do think about some of the different characters of the story and what I want the chapter to be about, but from there, it's all improvisation.

* * *

><p>Now, since Pichu's not back yet, I'm going to answer the (COUGH!) um…interesting questions from <em>Khorne's Bro<em>.

First off, **"Does Ash notice…something else about May? *cough cough the fact that she doesn't look her age cough cough***

Okay, first, this story is rated K+, so I'm not going that far. Also, I'm gonna take this time to state that they are all teens and pre-teens in this story, and she's 14, so any complaints about May being an "early bloomer" should be put to rest.

Next, let's see: **"Does Pikachu like cheese?"**

Um, I'm not completely sure about that, but I know that he's in love with ketchup. It can be described as an unhealthy obsession. I mean, Pichu's one thing, but we once saw Pikachu go through a grocery store's entire inventory of ketchup! We took him to an intervention group for ketchup addicts after that one.

Third question, **"Why doesn't Gavin or Ash just catch an Aggron and win ALL of the battles?"**

Obviously, we have an Aggron fan here. I actually don't mind Aggron, myself, but I don't think that Ash or Gavin are going to catch one. And really, only Ash is dealing with battles most of the time, so we'll see him battling in the most epic battles. But, if anyone wants to see a certain Pokémon at some point, tell me, and I'll try to arrange it at some point.

* * *

><p>"I'm…Baaaaaaaack!" Pichu said as he reentered the room.<p>

Finally! Are the mystery guests here?

"Yup, everything's all set!"

Great! Ladies and gentlemen! ("Ahem!") And Pokémon…introducing the stars of "League of Ultimates," Ash and May!

(Applause)

"Hey, guys!" [May]

"What's up?" [Ash]

"Uh, dude, I think you forgot someone," Pichu whispered.

Oh, yeah! _FACE PALM!_ And Pikachu!

(Large Applause)

"It's great to be here!" [Pikachu]

So, guys, you ready to answer some questions.

"Sure!" [All three]

First question, **"Ash, how many of your Pok****é****mon are going to evolve in this series?"**

"Probably a good amount. I mean, Bulbasaur evolved into Ivysaur, Larvitar to Pupitar, and Totodile to Croconaw, so some of the others might evolve at least once." [Ash]

**"Are there going to be anymore relationships formed in the story?"**

"Definitely. As far as we can tell, Gary and Tracey are both competing for Misty's heart, and some girls from Brock's past might show up as well. Plus, there might be some possibilities when more of the rivals show up." [May]

**"Are Iris and Cilan going to come back?"**

"Actually, yes. You should expect to see them again at some point soon!"[Pikachu]

**"What's the deal with Jeremiah?"**

I'll answer this one. Jeremiah is an OC that I created for a friend of mine who I have review each chapter before I post it. He actually came up with most of it. Jeremiah is important to the story in many different ways that I cannot currently reveal, but you can expect him to show up often in this story. And soon, we'll be getting some new information about him that might give you guys a different picture of him.

"I think he's kind of mysterious. He has a sort of aura of power emanating from him." [May]

"I think he's just kind of creepy. Especially when he brings out those puppets. Brrrrrrr!" [Ash]

**"May, why'd ya pick Ash?"**

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" [Ash]

"Calm down, Ash! Well, if you must know, Ash may be a bit dense, but he's probably the sweetest, bravest, and most compassionate guy that I ever met!" [May]

(The two proceed to begin making out.)

"Aw, come on, guys!" [Pikachu]

"Yeah, get a room!" Pichu added.

(Just then, a _DING!_ can be heard from the kitchen.)

"The burgers are done!" Brock could be heard yelling from the kitchen.

"FOOD!" Ash and May both yelled in unison as they suddenly got up and ran out of the room.

Um, guys! Guys! _Sigh._ Oh, well. Pikachu, Pichu, I guess we'll have to finish this Q/A session…ourselves.

(A note is pinned to Pichu's seat, saying, "_Went to get ketchup!"-Pichu & Pikachu_)

Of course. Well, I guess this ends the Q/A session. I hope you all got the answers that you wanted. If there are any more questions that you guys can think of that I didn't answer, just ask me in a review or private message me, and I'll personally answer them. I'll see you guys later! Peace out!

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 21: "Some Old Friends In Grenia Cove! A Wet Gym Battle!"<span>_- Our heroes finally have reached the Grenia Cove, the site of Ash's 2nd Gym battle! It's there that they run into some old friends and a familiar face. Plus, Ash fights an epic and rather wet gym battle. Who are the old friends? Who is the familiar face? What type of gym battle will Ash have to face? Will he be able to pull off the win? Stay tuned to find out!

**Hope you liked it and got the answers that you wanted! I'll see you guys next time!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Here's the new chapter! Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 21: "Some Old Friends in Grenia Cove! A Wet Gym Battle!"_

"What a beautiful day!" May said with a smile as she walked in front of the group on the pathway they were currently on.

Ash smiled as he held his beautiful girlfriend's hand. He couldn't help but notice how lively her sapphire blue eyes were today. She had a brilliant smile on her face, one of the many things that he loved about her. Even Pikachu liked being around her, as he had currently taken up a spot on May's shoulder, which she didn't mind at all.

He had to agree with her, though. It really was a beautiful day. And now that May and Dawn had both won their first their first ribbon by tying in the Couples' Contest just yesterday, they both looked happier and more cheerful than ever.

He looked over his shoulder at Dawn. Her eyes were glowing as she walked arm and arm with his cousin. Gavin also looked better now that the argument that May and Dawn had had for more than a day was over. Pichu even felt safe enough to sit on Dawn's shoulder while Piplup sat in Dawn's arms.

The others were looking better as well. Misty actually had a smile on her face as she walked next to Tracey and Gary, who for once weren't glaring at each other. Brock and Max both were grinning, along with Meowth, who looked a lot healthier than when he had when he had traveled with Team Rocket.

Ash also felt good today. They had found out the night after the contest that their next destination, Grenia Cove, was the site of the next gym. So, if all went well, he would have his second battle real soon.

"It is a great day, isn't it?" Ash said, looking over at May and Pikachu.

"So how long until we get to Grenia Cove?" Max asked.

Brock looked at his Pokégear and then answered, "It should be just a few minutes away."

"Okay, then! Let's go!" May exclaimed, and then began running and pulling Ash by the arm down the pathway with the others following at a fast pace.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, the group found themselves at their destination: Grenia Cove.<p>

It was a small village, with several houses, shops, and other buildings. Trees and bushes sat in several places, and the edge of the town, one could see a large bay with crystal clear water. The air around the place seemed to give everyone a sense of calm and peacefulness.

The group made their way to the town's Pokémon Center, and upon entering, gave their Pokémon to Nurse Joy to be healed.

"Oh, Nurse Joy," Brock said in his usual, deluded, lovey-dovey state, "Come with me now, so that we may travel the road of love together."

"Uh…"Nurse Joy said awkwardly until Brock suddenly yelped in pain.

"Maybe I…should just…go alone," Brock muttered out in agony as a purple frog Pokémon dragged him away.

"Hey, Ash, you wanna go get something to eat?" May asked the raven-haired trainer.

"Sure, let's go," Ash said with a nod. The two started to make their way to the cafeteria, along with the rest of their friends, when suddenly, Ash heard a familiar masculine voice say, "Thanks for healing our Pokémon, Nurse Joy."

"No problem," Nurse Joy replied. "Have a great day."

"You, too," Ash heard another familiar feminine voice say. He turned around swiftly and saw two faces that he hadn't seen in at least a month.

"Iris! Cilan!" Ash exclaimed, causing the purple-haired girl and green-haired guy standing in front of Nurse Joy's desk to look over at him. They both immediately smiled and yelled, "Ash!"

* * *

><p>It was quite a strange sight for Ash's friends to behold as Ash hugged these strange new people.<p>

He then turned to them and said, "Everyone, this is Iris and Cilan. They traveled with me through the Unova Region."

"It's nice to meet you!" Iris said with a smile.

"Any friend of Ash's is a friend of mine," Cilan said cheerfully.

"Iris, Cilan, these are my friends," Ash said as he raised his arm to point to each of his friends. "May, her little brother Max, Brock, Dawn, Misty, Tracey, Gary, and my cousin Gavin."

"Hey," The group said in unison.

"Wow, Ash, she's very pretty," Iris commented, indicating May. "Is she your girlfriend?"

Iris began to snicker, thinking that she was being funny, until May walked over to Ash, wrapped her arms around him, and said, "Actually, yes."

Iris's eyes went wide with shock while Cilan just smiled, looking a bit surprised, and said, "Wow, Ash. I never thought that you had it in you."

"How did _you _get a girlfriend?" Iris asked, the shock clear in her voice.

Ash blushed, causing everyone to laugh.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, the group and their two new friends were sitting at a table in the Pokémon Center cafeteria, chowing down on some well-deserved lunch.<p>

"So what are you guys doing in the Amaro Region?" Ash asked his friends from Unova.

"We came looking for you," Iris answered as she ate an apple.

"We wanted to surprise you by visiting you in Pallet Town, but Professor Oak told us that you had already left for the Amaro Region," Cilan explained.

"So, we got on a boat to Amaro, and here we are," Iris finished.

"Now what are all of your plans in this region?" Cilan asked.

"Well, I'm aiming to compete in the Amaro League," Ash replied as he picked up a burger from the table.

"And Dawn and I are competing in Pokémon contests to try to get into the Amaro Grand Festival," May said with a bowl of ramen in front of her.

"Pokémon contests?" Iris repeated with a confused look on her face.

"Oh, yeah," Ash said upon realization, "I forgot. You guys don't know about contests. You see, Pokémon contests are where trainers called coordinators compete by showing off their Pokémon's best features, whether it be their beauty, ability, grace, or another feature with moves used in a beautiful and stunning way."

"Oh, so you two are coordinators?" Cilan asked.

May and Dawn nodded. Then, Iris and Cilan looked over at the others.

"So what do you guys do?" Iris inquired.

"Well, I'm one of the Cerulean City Gym leaders," Misty said, causing the two to look impressed. "I want to be the world's best Water Pokémon trainer!"

"Cool," Iris said in awe. "I want to become a Dragon Pokémon master."

"Wow," Tracey said with fascination.

"So, Tracey, what's your story?" Cilan asked.

"I'm a Pokémon sketcher," Tracey answered nonchalantly. "And I'm an assistant to Professor Oak."

"That's really cool!" Cilan commented. "And the rest of you?"

"I'm training to become the world's best Pokémon doctor and breeder," Brock said, now recovered from the incident earlier.

"I'm working to take over for my dad at his gym someday," Max answered.

"May and Max's dad is the leader of the Petalburg City Gym in the Hoenn Region," Ash explained.

"I'm going to become a researcher like my grandpa," Gary said as he finished what had been on his plate.

"Professor Oak is Gary's grandpa," Ash added.

"So what about you, Cilan?" Brock asked.

"I'm one of the gym leaders at the Striaton City Gym and an A-class connoisseur," Cilan replied.

After Ash explained what a connoisseur was to those who did not know, everyone turned and looked at Gavin.

"What?" He asked as they all stared at him.

"You know, we never found out why you are here in the Amaro Region," Tracey remarked.

"So, what is your story?" Dawn inquired as she rubbed up onto him, a loving smirk on her face.

"Uh…" Gavin said nervously. Luckily for him, he was saved by a mysterious figure that walked up next to their table.

"Well, if it isn't my old friends," A man with a black broad hat, a black cloak, and a black bird Pokémon on his shoulder said as he noticed the group.

"Jeremiah!" Everyone but Iris and Cilan exclaimed.

* * *

><p>After an introduction between Iris, Cilan, and Jeremiah, Ash and co. went to go and get their Pokémon back from Nurse Joy.<p>

"So, Ash, what Pokémon are you using in your gym battle?" Max asked.

"Uh, I'm not sure," Ash said, cursing himself for his stupidity. He had forgotten to find out what type of Pokémon that the Grenia Cove Gym uses.

"Well, if I were you, young Ash, I would be prepared to get wet," Jeremiah said with a look of knowing. "Just saying."

He then proceeded to walk away and out of the center with Mimi the Murkrow on his shoulder.

"That guy's weird," Iris commented as soon as the doors closed.

"We know," Everyone but Iris and Cilan said in unison.

"What do you think he meant, Ash?" May asked.

Ash pondered for a moment and then his eyes widened upon realization.

"You guys go on ahead and I'll meet you there," Ash said with a grin on his face. "I just have to make a few substitutions."

He began to walk off with Pikachu on his shoulder while the others watched him walk away confusedly. They then just shrugged and exited the center.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, they had all arrived at the location of the gym. The building looked like a firehouse.<p>

When they walked inside, all around them were firefighters, fire trucks, and all kinds of Water Pokémon.

"Welcome!" They heard a deep, masculine voice boom across the room from them. They looked and saw a large man with a deep tan, a cropped black hair, and a large black mustache. He was wearing a camouflage shirt and black pants, with large brown boots.

Standing next to him, strangely, was Jeremiah, who still had Mimi on his shoulder.

"My name is Col. Lake and I'm both Grenia Cove's gym leader and Fire Chief," The man said as they all walked up to them. "Now which of you is the challenger?"

"He's not here yet," Gavin spoke up. "He had to assemble his team. He'll be here soon."

"Alright then," Col. Lake nodded and then his eyes went to Misty. "Aren't you the Kanto Cerulean City Gym Leader?"

"That's right," Misty replied.

"Well, while we wait for your friend, why don't we have a quick one-on-one battle," Col. Lake suggested. "One Water-type gym leader against another?"

Something flashed in Misty's eyes and then an intrigued smile appeared on her face.

"Okay, I accept your challenge."

* * *

><p>Soon, everyone was in the gym's battle area: a large room with an average, 12-ft-deep pool with a bench at the side for the spectators. Misty and Col. Lake each stood on one side of the pool. At the side, one of the firefighters was acting as referee.<p>

"This is a one-on-one battle between Misty, leader of the Cerulean City Gym and Col. Lake, leader of the Grenia Cove Gym," The referee stated. "Each competitor will use only one Pokémon each with no substitutions. Trainers, choose your Pokémon!"

"Crawdaunt, go!" Col. Lake yelled as he threw a Pokéball into the air. In a flash of light, a large and mostly red crustacean-like creature appeared onto one of the pool's floating platforms.

* * *

><p>"Who's that Pokémon?" Dawn thought out loud. She then took out her Pokédex and scanned the unknown Pokémon.<p>

'_Crawdaunt, the Rogue Pokémon. The evolved form of Corphish. Crawdaunt are short-tempered, and quick to challenge opponents to battle. It is said that no other Pokémon can live in areas inhabited by Crawdaunt._'

* * *

><p>"Let's see…Crawdaunt, huh? I'll go with…" Misty muttered to herself until suddenly, one of her Pokéballs opened up by itself. In a flash of light, a yellow duck Pokémon appeared.<p>

"Psy-yi-yi-yi," The Pokémon said, holding its hands to its head.

"Psyduck!" Misty said angrily. "What are you doing out here?"

"Psy," Psyduck replied. Its body then started to glow a bright white.

"Whoa," Iris said as she saw the bright light.

"Psyduck's evolving!" Tracey exclaimed.

When the light faded, Psyduck's body had changed completely. It had grown taller, it now had webbed hands and feet, and its tail was longer. It was now blue in color, it had red eyes, four spikes on its head, a red gem-like dot on its forehead, and sharp claws.

"Gol-duck!" It cried.

* * *

><p>"Wow! Psyduck evolved into Golduck!" Gary said, completely awestruck.<p>

"That duck's been super-sized!" Meowth exclaimed.

May then took out her Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

'_Golduck, the Duck Pokémon. The evolved form of Psyduck. Golduck is very adept at using its webbed hands and feet, making it the fastest swimming Pokémon of all._'

* * *

><p>Misty had a smile on her face as she looked at her newly evolved Pokémon. She then said, "Psy…I mean, Golduck, do you want to battle Crawdaunt?"<p>

Golduck nodded and gave her a salute.

Misty chuckled and said, "Okay, Golduck, I choose you!"

Golduck jumped from her side to one of the platforms and glared at the Rogue Pokémon.

"Golduck V.S. Crawdaunt! Begin!"

"Golduck, use Water Gun!" Misty ordered.

Golduck opened its mouth and shot a spiral of water from it at its opponent.

"Crawdaunt, use BubbleBeam!" Col. Lake instructed.

Crawdaunt opened its pincers and released a blast of multicolored bubbles towards Golduck's attack. The two attacks collided and caused an explosion of water.

"Golduck, use Zen Headbutt!" Misty commanded.

Golduck jumped into the water and swam rapidly towards Crawdaunt, its gem and head outline glowing light blue.

"Crawdaunt, use Night Slash!" Col. Lake yelled.

Crawdaunt's claws glowed purple and then it slashed at Golduck just as it came up, knocking it back into the water.

"Crawdaunt, dive in after it!" Col. Lake shouted.

Crawdaunt jumped into the water and dived after Golduck.

"Golduck, quick, use Fury Swipes!" Misty cried.

As Crawdaunt swam up to it, Golduck slashed at it repeatedly.

"Crawdaunt! Stop it with Crabhammer!" Col. Lake ordered.

One of Crawdaunt's pincers glowed white and then it smacked Golduck in the stomach, knocking it back several feet in the water. Crawdaunt jumped back out of the water and landed on a platform.

"Golduck, use Aqua Jet!" Misty instructed.

Golduck flew out of the water, its body surrounded by blue water as it headed straight towards the Rogue Pokémon.

"Crawdaunt, finish it off with Hyper Beam!" Col. Lake bellowed.

Crawdaunt open both of its pincers and shot a powerful red beam surrounded by white energy. The beam struck Golduck and blasted it back past Misty and into the wall, knocking it out.

"Golduck is unable to battle! Crawdaunt is the winner!" The referee announced.

While Col. Lake recalled Crawdaunt, Misty walked over to Golduck, who was struggling to get up.

"Thank you, Golduck," Misty said with a smile, causing Golduck to turn red. "You deserve a good rest."

At that, she recalled Golduck back into its Pokéball just as Ash walked in with Pikachu on his shoulder. He had a confused look on his face, along with Pikachu, who had the same look.

"What'd we miss?" Ash asked.

* * *

><p>"Ladies and Gentlemen! This will be a three-on-three match between Ash Ketchum, the challenger from Pallet Town and Col. Lake, the Grenia Cove Gym Leader!" The referee announced. "Each trainer will use three Pokémon each! Only the challenger is allowed to make substitutions! Let the battle begin!"<p>

"Poliwrath, go!" Col. Lake yelled as he threw a Pokéball into the air. In a flash of light, a blue, tadpole-like creature with bulky arms and legs, gloved hands, and a white belly that resembled a mouth with a clockwise swirled-symbol on it. It immediately jumped to one of the floating platforms.

* * *

><p>Gavin took out his Pokédex and scanned the gym leader's Pokémon.<p>

'_Poliwrath, the Tadpole Pokémon. Poliwrath is an excellent swimmer and its powerful muscles make its attacks extremely effective._'

* * *

><p>"Hmm, Poliwrath, eh?" Ash muttered to himself. He then took out a Pokéball, threw it into the air, and shouted, "Ivysaur, I choose you!"<p>

Soon, the Seed Pokémon appeared onto one of the platforms in a flash of light.

"Ivysaur V.S. Poliwrath! Begin!"

"Poliwrath, use Water Pulse!" Col. Lake instructed.

Poliwrath formed a ball of water in its hands and then threw it to the pool, causing a wave to begin coming straight towards Ivysaur.

"Ivysaur, use Vine Whip to dodge!" Ash yelled.

Vines came out of Ivysaur's back and then they pushed onto the platform, springing Ivysaur into the air.

"Now, use Seed Bomb!" Ash commanded.

Ivysaur opened its mouth and fired a barrage of glowing white seeds down at Poliwrath.

"Dodge it and then use DynamicPunch!" Col. Lake shouted.

Poliwrath jumped out of the way of Ivysaur's attack and then jumped into the air towards Ivysaur and punched it with a glowing red fist. Ivysaur was knocked down to one of the platforms, fortunately for Ash.

* * *

><p>"This is an interesting match. Such a high-tensioned flavor!" Cilan commented.<p>

"Yes, the two are both worthy opponents of each other," Jeremiah added.

* * *

><p>Ivysaur slowly got up, but was still ready to battle.<p>

"Ivysaur, use Sunny Day!" Ash ordered.

Ivysaur's bulb produced a glowing yellow orb and then shot it into the air, creating an intense, artificial sun on the ceiling of the battlefield.

"I don't see what that'll do for you, Ash!" Col. Lake remarked. "A little sun won't stop me! Poliwrath use Hydro Pump!"

A ball of water appeared in front of Poliwrath's belly and then it shot a powerful blast of water towards Ivysaur.

"Well, I guess it's time to show you!" Ash said with a smirk. "Ivysaur, use Solarbeam!"

The bulb on Ivysaur's back immediately shot an intense yellow beam of solar energy towards Poliwrath's attack, evaporating it completely, and then striking Poliwrath straight in the chest. It was sent flying past Col. Lake and into the wall, knocking it out.

"Poliwrath is unable to battle! Ivysaur wins!"

* * *

><p>"Wow, Ash was able to use Sunny Day's power to send an immediate and powerful Solarbeam that evaporated Hydro Pump and knocked out Poliwrath!" Brock exclaimed.<p>

Gavin nodded, now wearing his sunglasses.

"Way to go, Ash!" May cheered.

* * *

><p>Col. Lake recalled Poliwrath and then took another Pokéball out.<p>

"Not bad, Ash, but things are just getting started!" He said with a sneer. "Kabutops, go!"

He threw the Pokéball into the air, and a brown shellfish-like creature with insect-like legs and sickle-like forearms appeared onto a platform.

* * *

><p>"Kabutops?" May said as she took out her Pokédex.<p>

'_Kabutops, the Shellfish Pokémon. The evolved form of Kabuto. With sharp claws, this ferocious, ancient Pokémon rips apart prey and sucks their body fluids. It is thought that Kabutops came onto land because its prey adapted to life on land._'

* * *

><p>"Ivysaur, do you still want to battle?" Ash called out to his Pokémon. Ivysaur nodded in response.<p>

"Ivysaur V.S. Kabutops! Begin!"

"Ivysaur, use Solarbeam!" Ash commanded.

Ivysaur immediately fired a blast of solar energy at the Shellfish Pokémon.

"Kabutops, dive underwater!" Col. Lake shouted.

Kabutops jumped into the water and just barely dodged the blast.

"Now, use Rain Dance!" Col. Lake ordered.

A blue orb of light shot out from the pool and hit the artificial sun, turning it into a dark cloud that instantly began sending a shower of water down on the room.

* * *

><p>"Oh, no! My hair!" Dawn yelled in distress.<p>

"Now Ash won't be able to rapidly fire Solarbeam," Gary said grimly.

* * *

><p>"Ivysaur, use Vine Whip and drag it out of the water!" Ash yelled.<p>

"Kabutops, use Ice Beam!" Col. Lake instructed.

Just as Ivysaur was about to bring out its vines, Kabutops popped out of the water at an unbelievable speed and fired a light blue beam of light at Ivysaur, freezing it solid.

"Ivysaur!" Ash cried.

"Now, finish it off with Slash!" Col. Lake shouted.

Kabutops swam rapidly towards the frozen Ivysaur and slashed at it with one of its sickles. The force of the attack broke the ice and sent it flying back towards the wall. It was immediately knocked out.

"Ivysaur is unable to battle! Kabutops wins!"

* * *

><p>"How did Kabutops move so fast?" Dawn thought out loud, still trying to avoid the rain.<p>

"It's Kabutops' Swift Swim ability," Gavin explained. "It causes Kabutops' speed to go up in the rain."

* * *

><p>Ash recalled Ivysaur and said, "Good job, buddy. Take a good rest."<p>

He was about to take out a Pokéball when he felt a tug on his leg. He looked down to see Pikachu pointing at himself.

"You wanna battle, Pikachu?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded and did a thumbs-up sign. "Okay, then. I choose you!"

Pikachu then ran and jumped to one of the platforms, its cheeks sparking.

"Pikachu V.S. Kabutops! Begin!"

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Ash commanded.

"Pika-pika-pika-chupi!" Pikachu yelled as a ball of electricity formed on his tail, did a front flip, and then threw it towards Kabutops.

"Kabutops, use Protect!" Col. Lake instructed.

A bluish-green force field appeared around Kabutops and caused Pikachu's attack to fizzle out.

"Now, use X-Scissor!" Col. Lake ordered.

Kabutops' sickles glowed light blue and it shot an X-shaped blast at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, dodge it and use Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled.

Pikachu jumped over the attack and then released a blast of yellow electricity from its cheeks at Kabutops. The attack hit its target and electrocuted Kabutops, knocking it out.

"Kabutops is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!"

* * *

><p>"What a highly enjoyable battle!" Jeremiah commented.<p>

"Mur-mur-krow!" Mimi chirped.

"Keep it up, Pikachu!" The four girls cheered.

* * *

><p>"You've done well, Ash," Col. Lake said after recalling Kabutops. He then took out a Pokéball and said, "But it ends now! Blastoise, I choose you!"<p>

He threw the Pokéball into the air and in a flash of light, a large, bipedal, blue tortoise-like creature with a tough brown shell and two steel cannons on its back landed on one of the platforms with a thud.

"You still up for battling, Pikachu?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded and showed him a peace sign.

"Pikachu V.S. Blastoise! Begin!"

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled.

"Pika-chuuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu cried as he released a burst of yellow electricity at the large, turtle Pokémon.

"Blastoise, use Flash Cannon!" Col. Lake ordered.

Blastoise fired two large, blue beams surrounded with white energy at Pikachu's attack, causing it explode into a cloud of black smoke. However, the Flash Cannon still broke through and hit a surprised Pikachu back towards Ash, who just barely caught it. When Ash looked at him, there were swirls in his eyes.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! Blastoise wins!"

* * *

><p>Ash quickly took Pikachu over to May, who held Pikachu carefully. He then went back over to his side of the pool and took out a Pokéball.<p>

"It's up to you," Ash muttered as rain slid down his face. He then threw the Pokéball into the air and yelled, "Buizel, I choose you!"

In a flash of light, the Sea Weasel Pokémon appeared on a platform with its arms crossed.

"Buizel V.S. Blastoise! Begin!"

"Blastoise, use Skull Bash!" Col. Lake ordered.

Blastoise jumped and torpedoed towards Buizel, its body surrounded by a silver aura.

"Buizel, dodge it and use SonicBoom!" Ash commanded.

Buizel swiftly jumped into the air with unbelievable speed and sent a large white shockwave down at Blastoise, knocking it into the water.

* * *

><p>"Nice! Buizel's Swift Swim ability has increased its speed!" Max said, awe-struck.<p>

"Go get 'em, Buizel!" Meowth yelled.

* * *

><p>"Blastoise, use Water Spout!" Col. Lake instructed.<p>

The water glowed a light blue color, and then, a sudden blast of water came up and hit Buizel.

"Buiiiii!" Buizel cried in pain.

"Now, use Water Pulse!" Col. Lake shouted.

An orb of water shot up to Buizel and surrounded its entire body. Suddenly, a wave of ripples went through it, causing Buizel pain.

"Buizel! No!" Ash yelled.

Then, something strange began occurring. The orb of water began to glow a bright white color and then broke apart, showing Buizel's glowing body.

"Buizel?" Ash said with shock.

Then, its form began shifting. When the glowing faded, it was bigger, with its floatation device now the size of a raft. The blue fins that stuck out of its forearms were now bigger, and it had an orange, tear-shaped marking on its belly.

"Zel-zel!" It cried with power clear in its voice.

* * *

><p>"Whoa! Buizel evolved into Floatzel!" Dawn remarked.<p>

* * *

><p>As Floatzel landed on the platform in front of him, Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned his newly evolved Pokémon.<p>

'_Floatzel, the Sea Weasel Pokémon and the evolved form of Buizel. Its flotation sac developed as an aid for chasing aquatic prey. Floatzel can also carry people on its back._ _Floatzel is able to use the moves Water Gun, Aqua Jet, SonicBoom, Water Pulse, Ice Punch, and Razor Wind!_'

"Okay, Floatzel, are you ready to win this?" Ash asked with enthusiasm.

Floatzel gave him a thumbs-up sign and a grin.

"Okay, then! Use Aqua Jet!" Ash yelled.

Floatzel's body was surrounded by blue water and it flew up into the air and then flew down into the water. It hit Blastoise and knocked it out of the water.

"Blastoise, use Hydro Cannon!" Col. Lake shouted.

"Floatzel, use Ice Punch!" Ash commanded.

Blastoise began charging its attack, but Floatzel was too fast for it, hitting it with an icy blue punch.

"Now, finish it off with Razor Wind!" Ash ordered.

Floatzel's tails glowed white and then it shot white crescent blades of wind at Blastoise. Blastoise was knocked back into the water, causing a spray of water. Just then, the rain stopped as Blastoise floated to the top with swirls in its eyes.

"Blastoise is unable to battle! Floatzel wins! The victory goes to the challenger!"

* * *

><p>"Great job, Ash!" May said as she embraced him. Pikachu was cheering on the ground with Ivysaur, Meowth, Pichu, and Piplup. Floatzel stood next to Ash with a smug look on his face.<p>

Everyone was congratulating Ash when Col. Lake walked over with a smile on his face.

"Ash, that was a great battle. To commemorate your victory, I proudly present you with the Cove Badge."

He then handed Ash a small, round, blue piece of metal with three green island-like markings on it.

Ash thanked him. Then, as May hung on him, Ash smiled, held the badge into the air, and yelled, "I just won a Cove Badge!"

Pikachu did a peace sign in the air, Ivysaur raised a vine happily in the air, and Floatzel gave a thumbs-up sign and a grin.

"Good job, young Ash," Jeremiah said with a smile. "Now, I must go to the Pokémon Center for a well-deserved nap!"

And then, the black clothing adorned man ran out of the gym as quick as a flash, leaving those left there very confused.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in a submarine at the edge of the cove, several figures in black sat in front of several bright computer screens. In the center, a man wearing a dark trench coat and a black fedora stood in front of a large screen with several men in the same attire behind him. On the screen was a dark, silhouetted figure in a chair.<p>

"Sir, the equipment is ready to go," The man said to the screen.

"Good. Execute Plan Delta," The figure responded in a deep voice.

"Yes, sir," The man said, turning and pointing at several men behind him, who immediately ran out of the room.

The figure on the screen chuckled, saying, "Soon, the entire Amaro Region will know of the power of Team Umbra!"

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 22: "A New Threat Arises! Attack of the Shadows, Part 1!"<span>_- Now that Ash has gotten his second badge, the group has decided to take a day at the beach in Grenia Cove. Everything seems all good when a cloud of black fog appears and spreads throughout the town, knocking out all of the power and encasing it in darkness. Plus, a random flooding has washed away Ash and the others into a mysterious cave, where they run into Jeremiah. What's going on? Who are the villains causing this trouble? Find out next time on Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**Uh oh! What's going on? Who are these guys? Questions to be answered next time! Hope you liked the chapter! Read and Review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey, guys! Sorry it took so long! Here's the new chapter! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. **

_Chapter 22: "A New Threat Arises! Attack of the Shadows, Part 1!"_

"_May, look out!_"

"_No!_"

May opened her eyes. She looked around and saw that it was morning. However, the other girls were still asleep. She slowly sat up on her bed.

She had just had a horrible nightmare. Even though she couldn't remember any of it, she still had those voices stuck in her head. They sounded so familiar, but she just couldn't place the voices with their faces.

She shook it off and got out of bed. She walked over to the bathroom to take a shower. Ten minutes later, she walked out refreshed and fully clothed.

She went to the Pokémon Center lobby and saw someone standing near the door.

"Pikachu, what are you doing out here?" May asked as she picked up the Electric Mouse Pokémon and began to rub his head.

"Pika-pika-pika-chu," Pikachu answered, pointed towards the door leading outside. May looked at the door and then began to walk towards it with Pikachu on her shoulder.

When May stepped outside, Pikachu immediately hopped off of her shoulder and ran towards a tree in the distance. May could see that someone was lying against it with his hat over his face. Pikachu stopped right in front of the boy. An amused smirk appeared on May's face and then she quietly snuck over to the tree.

* * *

><p>Ash was sound asleep against the tree. He had been rudely awakened earlier by the combined sound of Brock, Tracey, and Cilan's snoring, so he went outside to get some quiet. Suddenly, though, he felt a tap on his foot.<p>

He opened his eyes and moved his hat up to see his Pokémon partner smiling at him.

"What's up, buddy?" was all Ash could get out before two hands came from behind and covered his eyes.

"Guess who!" A honey-sweet voice said into his ear.

"Hmm…" Ash said humorously, pretending to ponder the matter. "Is it Misty?"

"No," The voice giggled. "Guess again."

"Dawn?"

"No. Come on, Ash! Is it really that hard?"

"Maybe," Ash said with a grin. "Can you give me a hint?"

"Okay, here's your hint: It's someone that you care about, and if you don't guess right this time, you'll be in a world of hurt."

Ash chuckled and then said, "Good morning, May."

Ash turned around after the hands were removed to see the beautiful and smiling brunette sit down next to him.

"Why were you sleeping outside?" May asked as she laid her head against his shoulder.

"Some of the guys were snoring and I couldn't sleep," Ash said with a sigh. "Even Snorlax couldn't match against their snoring."

"Well, maybe now that you're awake, we can have some fun before the others wake up," May said with a sly grin on her face.

Ash raised an eyebrow, causing May to roll her eyes at his denseness. She then grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a kiss.

* * *

><p>Pikachu chuckled as his trainer and his trainer's girlfriend were making out.<p>

'_Pikapi is so dense. It's a wonder how he even got Chupika in the first place,_' The Mouse Pokémon thought as he started to walk back to the center. '_Oh well, it's a mystery for another day. All I know is that I would never be that dense if I was in a relationship._'

Then, his eyes suddenly went wide when he stepped inside and saw a light blue, foxlike Pokémon waiting for him.

"Hey there, Pikachu," Glaceon said with a smile.

"Uh…hi?" Pikachu said nervously.

* * *

><p>A little while later, everyone else was now awake and they had all gotten together for breakfast.<p>

"So, what do you guys want to do today?" Brock asked the others.

"How about we go shopping?" Dawn suggested.

"NO!" The guys, Misty, and Iris yelled in unison. Dawn and May both crossed their arms, pouting, causing the Pokémon to chuckle.

"Hey, why don't we go down to the cove and have a day at the beach?" May proposed.

Everyone nodded and agreed, so they all went back to their rooms to get ready.

* * *

><p>"What's taking them so long?" Max complained.<p>

The guys had gotten down to the beach first, and now, they just had to wait on the girls. Ash was wearing his black trunks with lightning bolt patterns on the sides, Max was wearing a pair of green trunks, Brock wore a pair of orange trunks with purple stripes down the sides, Tracey had on a pair of navy trunks, Gary had on a pair of gray trunks with three black stripes down each side, Cilan wore a pair of white swim trunks, and Gavin was wearing his sunglasses over his eyes and a pair of red trunks with blue and white stripes down the sides.

"Calm down, Max, they'll be here soon," Brock said calmly.

Nearby, Meowth sat on a chair on top of a beach towel under a large red and white umbrella. He had never been too fond of water.

"Ah, hello there, my friends," they suddenly heard a voice say in the distance. They turned and saw a man wearing a black hat, a black cloak, and a pair of black swim trunks. On his shoulder was a black, crow-like Pokémon with a red bow on her head.

"Oh, hey, Jeremiah," Ash said in greeting. They all gladly said hello, except for Pichu, who just climbed up onto his trainer's shoulder and starting growling at Mimi the Murkrow. He still hadn't forgiven her for making him fall on his head back in the Begonda Forest.

"What are you all up to?" Jeremiah asked.

"We're waiting for the girls to change into their swimsuits for our day at the beach," Tracey explained.

"Oh. Well, have fun, my friends!" Jeremiah said as he began to walk off. Pichu continued to growl at Mimi until the both of them were out of sight.

"Pichu, they're gone. You can stop now," Gavin said to the small, growling Pokémon on his shoulder. Pichu immediately stopped and was smiling again.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu suddenly yelled, pointing off into the distance. Everyone looked and saw the girls walking over.

Misty was wearing a blue one-piece swimsuit, May had her red bikini on, Dawn wore her yellow-and-orange bikini that she had often worn in Sinnoh, and Iris had on her white one-piece swimsuit. All of the guys' jaws dropped at the sight of them.

"Hey, guys!" Misty said with a wave.

"You ready to swim?" Dawn asked.

The guys were unable to respond. Pikachu and Pichu had to snap their fingers in order to snap them out of it.

"Hey, why don't we let all of our Pokémon out?" Iris suggested. The others nodded and they all took out their Pokéballs and threw them into the air. In a flash of light, all of their Pokémon appeared.

"Iris, is that…" Ash began at the sight of a large, golden bipedal dragon with black skin covering its torso, tail tip, and thighs, red talons and claws, large red-and-black scythe-like tusks, and red eyes with black pupils.

"Yup! Everyone, meet Haxorus!" Iris said, gesturing her hand to the golden dragon, who roared in greeting.

"Cool!" Max said, his eyes wide with interest.

"Alright, everyone! Let's hit the beach!" May said, pumping her fist into the air.

At that point, they all ran together towards the sand and the blue water.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in a submarine at the edge of the cove, several people in black cloaks and fedoras were either standing or sitting at computers. One that looked like he was the leader of the operation stood in the middle of them all.<p>

"Nebula, sir," a man that appeared to be a sort of grunt said, giving a slight bow and salute to the leader. "The machine is ready."

"Good," Nebula replied with an emotionless face. "Activate the storm."

"Yes, sir," Several people said with a salute. One person sitting at a computer pushed a button and a churning sound could be heard.

* * *

><p>Back at the beach, the group was having fun when, suddenly, Meowth noticed something from his chair.<p>

"Huh? I don't remember rain in the forecast," He said as he saw the small, dark storm clouds in the distance that continued to grow larger and larger. "Better tell the others."

Meowth got up and ran towards the edge of the sand and yelled, "Hey, guys! It looks like there's a storm comin'!"

They all turned and saw that there was indeed a storm coming as the clouds grew larger and larger, covering the entire town and flashing lightning. The shrill whistle of wind could be heard. The water began churning and swirling viciously.

Several of the group ran back to the shore as quick as they could, returning their Pokémon to their Pokéballs, but then, a sudden large wave could be seen coming towards them. Brock, Tracey, Max, Gary, Iris, and Cilan had made it back safe, but Ash, May, Dawn, and Gavin were still in the water along with Pichu, Pikachu, and Piplup. They were struggling to make it back to shore, but the waves were too much for them, and they were beginning to be swept away.

"Hurry, guys! We have to do something!" Misty said worriedly.

"But, what?" Tracey asked.

Brock quickly ran over to their things and grabbed a backpack. He ran back to the edge to the sand, gave the backpack a good toss, and yelled, "Ash, catch!"

Ash managed to catch it just as the four of them disappeared into the water.

"May!" Max yelled with a scared expression on his face and tears in his eyes. It was no use. They had disappeared into the waves.

* * *

><p>May coughed out a bit of water on the dry floor of the cave. Next to her were Ash, Gavin, Dawn, Pichu, Pikachu, and Piplup, who were doing the same thing.<p>

The water had swept them into a dark cave with barely any light.

"I can't see!" May heard Dawn's voice say in a complaining tone.

"Hey, Pichu! Give us a Flash, will ya?" She heard Gavin say to his Pokémon.

"Pi!" Pichu's squeaky voice said in response. Then, May could see a bright light appear around the small mouse Pokémon, causing their sight to return. May could now see the others, all soaking wet and breathing deeply.

"Where are we?" She asked with just a hint of worry.

"I don't know," Ash said, his face looking grim.

They looked around, but only saw bleak looking rocks everywhere.

"No need to worry, right?" Dawn said, trying to reassure them.

"That's when I worry the most," Gavin retorted, earning his a playful shove from Dawn.

"Ash, what's in the backpack?" May asked.

Ash looked down at the backpack that Brock had thrown him. It didn't even look wet. It must have been waterproof. He opened it and saw some dry clothes, shoes, and six Pokéballs.

'_Thank you, Brock,_' Ash thought gratefully as he showed the others the contents of the pack.

"Good. Now, turn off the lights, Pichu, so we can all get changed," Gavin ordered.

Pichu nodded and then the cave went dark again. A few minutes later, after it was confirmed that they were all changed, Pichu's cheeks brightened up again.

Ash had on a pair of blue jeans, his hat, and a black t-shirt, May had on a red sleeveless top, her red bandana, and a black skirt, Dawn had on a white sleeveless top, her cap, and a blue skirt, and Gavin had on a pair of grayish jeans and a red t-shirt, both which complimented his sunglasses.

"Whose Pokéballs are those?" May asked. None of them were really sure, so, they took the Pokéballs and tossed them into the air.

In a flash of light, six creatures appeared. One was a brown, log-shaped creature with yellow spots, short legs with toe-less feet, club-shaped hands, and a forked branch at the top of its head. The next had a round body covered in purple fur with a pair of clodhopper feet, stubby forepaws, a pincer-like mouth, red compound eyes, and white antennae. The third was a large, red, furry, camel-like creature with volcano-like humps on its back and blue, ring-shaped markings on its sides. The fourth was a white, rodent-like creature with a tiny nose, yellow cheeks, round, black ears, a black hood-like patterning around its head, wing-like, yellow-colored flaps connected to its three-fingered arms, and a black, jagged tail. The final creature was a familiar-looking, blue foxlike creature with dark blue patches on its back, ears, tail, and feet.

"Glaceon!" May exclaimed, immediately embracing her Pokémon, who purred in response.

"It looks like we've got Brock's Sudowoodo, Tracey's Venonat, Max's Camerupt, and Iris's Emolga," Ash concluded.

"So how do we get out of here?" Dawn asked.

Ash pondered this for a moment, but then, he suddenly heard something.

"May, look out!" Ash yelled, pushing her and the other two to the ground just as a dark, shadowy orb came from the cave tunnel. He was hit directly in the stomach and knocked to the ground.

"No!" May yelled, tears in her eyes. Then, they heard a growling in the distance and everything went black.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, close to the submarine, a figure stood in the cave. On his shoulder was a bird-like creature, and next to him stood a white, quadrupedal mammal-like creature with a black, scythe-like horn on its head. The horn was glowing, illuminating a symbol imprinted on the sub that resembled a skull with a crescent moon behind it and a single star above the top left-hand corner of the skull. The figure stared at the symbol intently.<p>

"It's time we met again, Team Umbra," he said in a flat voice.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 23: "A New Threat Arises! Attack of the Shadows, Part 2!"<span>_- Ash has been injured, and now something has come for the four! What will happen to them? Who are their captors? Will the friends find a way to locate them? And who is the mysterious figure and what is his connection to Team Umbra? Tune in to find out!

**Uh, oh! What's gonna happen next? You'll have to wait and see! Might be a few days before I am able to finish the next chapter though. See you guys next time!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey, guys! Here's chapter 23, earlier than expected! Shows what you can do with a whole lot of free time! I hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 23: "A New Threat Arises! Attack of the Shadows, Part 2!"_

(Flashback)

_ "Nebula, sir, the machine is ready."_

_ "Good. Activate the storm."_

_ "Ash, catch!"_

_ "May!"_

_"Whose Pok__é__balls are those?"_

_ "Glaceon!"_

_ "It looks like we've got Brock's Sudowoodo, Tracey's Venonat, Max's Camerupt, and Iris's Emolga."_

_ "So how do we get out of here?"_

_ "May, look out!"_

_ "No!"_

_ "It's time we met again, Team Umbra."_

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>Gavin slowly opened his eyes as a harsh light pierced his eyes. He looked and saw above him a man wearing a familiar looking hat and cloak with a bird on his shoulder and a quadrupedal mammal-like creature with a scythe-like horn on its head standing next to him. Gavin could now see that the light was coming from the creature's horn.<p>

"Are you okay, my friend?" The man asked.

"Jeremiah?" Gavin asked, squinting due to the light in his eyes.

"Yes, my friend," Jeremiah said with an expressionless face. He then looked over at the four-legged creature and said in a commanding tone, "Absol, dim the light a bit so that our friend can see."

"Sol," The Disaster Pokémon grunted and then the horn's light dimmed a bit.

Gavin groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head. He looked around and saw that he was still in the cave.

"Pi-chu!" He suddenly heard a voice say happily. He was then tackled back to the cave floor by a familiar yellow mouse-like creature.

"Pichu!" Gavin said with relief clearly in his voice. The two embraced joyously. "You're okay!"

"Yes. Your partner woke up just a little while before you did," Jeremiah said with a slight smile.

Gavin then looked around worriedly, as he noticed who was missing.

"Where are Dawn, Ash, and May? And Pikachu, Glaceon, and Piplup?" He asked with anxiety in his voice. Jeremiah's smile turned to a sad frown.

"They were taken by some members of Team Umbra," He replied sadly. "I came when I heard the screaming of the girls, but I was unable to save them. I was, however, able to save these four."

He then put hand into his cloak and brought out four Pokéballs. Gavin took them and remembered which Pokémon were inside them.

"Team Umbra?" Gavin repeated.

"A nefarious team of evildoers that have been a problem in the Amaro Region lately," Jeremiah explained. "They have some sort of evil scheme going on, but I have no idea what it is. That's why I'm here."

"Huh?" Gavin said with a confused expression clear on his face. "What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that Team Umbra and I have a history and leave it at that," Jeremiah quickly responded. "Now, we have to find your friends."

"Right," Gavin nodded. Pichu climbed onto his shoulder. There was a determined expression on the little Electric-type's face.

"Chu," Pichu said, pointing towards the tunnel. At that, the two guys and the Pokémon ran off into the dark tunnel.

* * *

><p>"So let me get this straight," Officer Jenny said as she spoke to the group of teens. "Your friends were swept away by that storm, and now, you have no idea where they are?"<p>

"Yes," Misty nodded with worry in her eyes.

"Well, I don't know if there's much we can do," The police woman said sadly. "Without any clue as to their location, they could be dead for all we know."

"Dead?" Max squeaked, tears in his eyes.

Gary got down to the young trainer's level, and said to him, "Don't worry, Max. They'll be alright. We'll find them."

"But how?" Max practically shouted.

The others just looked at each other uneasily, not knowing what to tell the teal-haired boy. Suddenly, however, they heard a ringing sound that seemed to be emanating from Max's pocket. Max put his hand in his pocket and pulled out his Pokédex.

"It's Gavin!" Max exclaimed. The others all got around him excitedly as he pushed the button. They soon saw the brown-haired trainer's face on the screen with Pichu on his shoulder.

"_Guys, it's me._" They heard Gavin's voice say through the phone.

"_Pi-chu!"_ Pichu waved.

"_Hello, my friends!"_ They heard another voice say.

"Is that Jeremiah?" Misty asked.

"_Yes. I thought I told you two to be quiet while I make the call!"_ (Gavin)

_ "Sorry, but I wanted to say hello!" _(Jeremiah)

"_Pi-chu-pi-chu-pi!" _("I'm hungry!")

"_Will both of you be quiet!"_ (Gavin)

"Gavin! Are you guys alright?" Brock asked.

"Where are you?" Tracey inquired.

"_We're fine, we're in some kind of a cave at the edge of the cove, but Ash, May, Dawn, Pikachu, Piplup, and Glaceon were captured by members of an evil group called Team Umbra!_" (Gavin)

"Team Umbra?" The teens said in unison. They looked at Officer Jenny.

"They're a team of criminals that have been causing blackouts and other disasters in different areas of the Amaro Region in the last several months," Officer Jenny explained. "We don't know much about them, and haven't been able to catch any of them at the scenes of their crimes."

"They must've caused the storm earlier!" Cilan thought out loud.

"_Yeah. Now guys, I don't have much time. I've barely got a signal and I might lose it at any time. Max, I'm sending my location to your Pok__é__dex. You can use it find us._"

"Right," Max said as he received the code.

"_Okay, Jeremiah and I are going to try to find and rescue the others. Good luck!"_

With that, the trainer's image disappeared and the teens looked at each other with a single goal in mind.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in a dark submarine at the edge of the cove, several grunts were getting yelled at.<p>

"How could you let the boy get away!" Nebula yelled furiously at the frightened grunts.

"We had some difficulties," One of the grunts managed to squeak out.

"We got three of them, sir," The grunt next to him blurted out.

Nebula looked over at the three teens tied up in the corner. The raven-haired boy was still knocked out from the Shadow Ball attack, but the two girls were awake, along with the three Pokémon. The only way that they had gotten them to stop talking was to tape their mouths shut.

"As long as that boy is out there, the mission is in jeopardy!" Nebula said, holding his hand to his forehead, trying to calm himself down.

"Sir!" A woman said from one of the consoles. Nebula turned around and walked over. "We found the crystal."

"Good. Send some men down to retrieve it immediately!" Nebula ordered. Some men saluted and ran out of the room. He then turned around and glared at the grunts who were cowering on their knees. "You three! I want you to go back into those tunnels and get that boy and whoever is helping him!"

The three grunts quickly got up, saluted, and ran out of the room as well. Nebula turned and stared at the image on the console.

'_Soon we will have the first crystal that my master desires, and then we will be that much closer to achieving our ultimate goal! And the boy will no longer be a problem._'

* * *

><p>"So, the submarine's down this way?" Gavin inquired.<p>

"Yes. If I'm right, your friends should be on there," Jeremiah said as the two walked down the dark pathway of the tunnel. Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming towards them.

"There they are!" They heard a gruff voice say. Three men appeared in front of them wearing dark trench coats, black fedoras, and shaded sunglasses. They each took out a Pokéball and threw them into the air.

In a flash of light, three hyena-like creatures with shaggy black-and-gray fur, red eyes with yellow scleras and dark triangular streaks below them, rhombus-shaped ears, red noses, black furry tails, and eyebrow-like extensions on their heads from the black mantle of fur on their backs. The three Mightyena growled menacingly.

"Use Shadow Ball!" The three men yelled.

Black, shadowy orbs of dark energy appeared out in front of the mouths of the three Mightyena. They then launched them towards Gavin and Jeremiah.

"Camerupt, Sudowoodo, come on out!" Gavin yelled, throwing two Pokéballs into the air. In a flash of light, the Eruption Pokémon and the Imitation Pokémon appeared.

"Mightyena, release your inner rage!" Jeremiah said as he threw a Pokéball onto the ground. Instantly, a larger version of the grunts' Pokémon appeared in front of him.

"Camerupt, use Flame Burst and Sudowoodo, use Rock Throw!" Gavin commanded.

"Mightyena, use Dark Pulse!" Jeremiah ordered.

Smoke came out of the camel Pokémon's back and then Camerupt shot a burst of fire at the Mightyena. Sudowoodo punched its fist into the ground, grabbed a large rock from the cave floor, and then threw it towards its foes. Jeremiah's Mightyena shot a beam of shadowy purple circles towards its smaller foes. The three attacks collided with the Shadow Balls and exploded.

Jeremiah then took out two more Pokéballs and threw them into the air. In a flash of light, Bisharp and Absol appeared at his side.

"Gavin, go! Save your friends! I handle these three!" He yelled.

Gavin nodded and then he and Pichu climbed up onto Camerupt's back.

"Sudowoodo, use Double Edge!" Gavin shouted.

Sudowoodo ran towards one of the cave walls, its body surrounded by a yellow light, and slammed into the wall. The force of its attack created a hole in the wall that connected to one of the other tunnels.

"Good job, Sudowoodo! Now, return!" Gavin said, holding out Sudowoodo's Pokéball which shot a red beam of light out at the Pokémon.

"Sudo-woodo!" Sudowoodo saluted cheerfully as he disappeared in the red light.

"Let's go, Camerupt!" Gavin told the Eruption Pokémon. Camerupt grunted and then started stampeding towards the tunnel.

"Good luck, my friend," Jeremiah said quietly as he prepared for the battle ahead. "Now let's have some fun."

* * *

><p>Ash groaned as he struggled to regain consciousness. As soon as his vision cleared, he could see that he was in a metal room with people wearing black all around.<p>

He tried to move, but saw that he couldn't due to the ropes entrapping him. He saw looked to each side and saw Dawn and May on each side, tied up and both looking frightened. In front of him were Pikachu, Piplup, and Glaceon, also tied up.

Suddenly, he felt a pain in his chest. That Shadow Ball had hit him pretty hard.

"Sir," Ash suddenly heard a woman say on the other side of the room. "We have the crystal."

"Good," A gruff-voiced man replied. "Now, let's dump the unnecessary cargo and get out of here."

Ash's thoughts raced as he heard the words "unnecessary cargo." He had to do something fast or he and the girls were toast. But what? Then, suddenly, he heard a loud explosion from outside.

"What was that?" The man yelled.

"Something hit the side of the submarine," The woman said as she pushed the buttons that were on the console she was sitting at. "I think we're being attacked!"

"By what!" The man inquired.

Then, answering the man's question, an explosion occurred and a hole appeared in the wall.

"What the…" The man started before a familiar voice yelled, "Again! Emolga, Hidden Power! Pichu, Thundershock! Venonat, Psybeam!"

Suddenly, a blast of rainbow light, yellow electricity, and green energy went through the hole and caused an explosion that knocked the men around them off of their feet. Ash looked through the hole and saw a boy with brown hair wearing a red shirt, black sunglasses, and gray jeans. Next to him was a small mouse-like creature, a small flying squirrel-like creature, a fuzzy purple bug, a red camel with volcano humps, and a wooden-looking figure.

"Sudowoodo, use Thief!" Gavin commanded.

The Imitation Pokémon ran into the submarine at a blinding speed, grabbed the three teens and the three Pokémon, and then ran back out.

"Hey!" One of the grunts yelled.

"Camerupt, use Eruption!" Gavin ordered.

A blast of fire, smoke, rocks, and lava shot out of Camerupt's back and hit the submarine, causing a huge explosion of black smoke. The vessel was completely destroyed, but the _WHRRING_ sound of a motor could be heard, and the four teens could see a speedboat rocketing away.

* * *

><p>"Gavin, you were amazing!" Dawn exclaimed as she jumped towards the boy and pressed her lips against his. As the two broke apart, they both looked at each other lovingly.<p>

"I'm just glad that you're safe," Gavin said softly with a bright smile.

"You did great, coz," Ash said, patting his cousin's back. May hugged him with great force and then gave him a peck of gratitude on his cheek. Gavin slightly blushed, but stopped when Jeremiah walked in from the tunnel.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" He said as he walked in with Murkrow on his shoulder and Absol, Mightyena, and Bisharp pulling behind them the three grunts who had been knocked out and tied up along with their Mightyena.

Just then, a police boat pulled into the cave. On it was Officer Jenny and all of their friends.

"You're okay!" Misty, Max, and Iris said in unison as they hugged May and Dawn.

"You four blew up the submarine and captured these grunts?" Officer Jenny asked.

"Well, Camerupt blew up the sub," Gavin started, "And Jeremiah captured the grunts? Right, Jere…miah?"

They all looked around, but the man and his Pokémon were nowhere to be found.

"That guy is kind of weird," Meowth said, scratching his head.

"Pika-chu," Pikachu nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>Later that night in the cave, after the group had left, two figures, a man and a woman dressed up in navy and magenta trench coats observed the wreckage. The man took out a walkie-talkie and pushed a button on it.<p>

"Sir, they found the first crystal." The man said into the device.

"_Good,_" A deep voice said as it emanated from the walkie-talkie. "_Once they find the other two crystals and we acquire them, victory will be ours!_"

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 24: "Art of the Painter! The Sketching of Moves!"<span>_- Our heroes are taking a break for lunch when they are attacked by a rogue Smeargle! It knows a couple of powerful moves, and now, Tracey wants to catch it! Will he succeed? Find out next time on Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**What'll happen next? You'll have to wait and see! I'll probably come out with the next one pretty soon! Until then, keep reading and reviewing!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Here's chapter 24! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 24: "Art of the Painter! The Sketching of Moves!"_

"Okay! Lunchtime, everybody!"

It was just another beautiful day in the Amaro Region as our heroes take a break from their travels for a well-deserved meal.

Brock was a bit more cheerful today now that he finally had someone to help him with the cooking. Cilan and Brock made a great pair in the field of fine cuisine.

Everyone immediately sat down to eat the wonderful meal the breeder and connoisseur had created. Even the Pokémon were enjoying the Pokémon food that Brock had made them.

"Wow, Brock, I've never seen Simisage, Crustle, and Stunfisk enjoy their food so much," Cilan commented as he watched his Pokémon eat vigorously.

"Yeah! Haxorus, Excadrill, Emolga, and Cryogonal just love it!" Iris said with a smile.

"Well, thank you," Brock said thankfully. "You're not a bad chef yourself, Cilan."

'_It's nice to see all of my friends are getting along,_' Ash thought as he worked on a sandwich. He looked beside him and saw May, Max, and Tracey enjoying the food. Across from him, Misty, Gary, and Iris were also enjoying each other's company. On his other side, Dawn and Gavin smiled at each other as they ate, and Ash could clearly see that Brock and Cilan were glad to finally have somebody to help with the cooking.

Even the Pokémon were getting along great. Pikachu sat in a circle with Meowth, Piplup, Croagunk, Glaceon, Riolu, and Pichu. Charizard and Haxorus had become fast friends, eating with several of the other larger Pokémon. All of the Pokémon were enjoying themselves, happily relaxing after some of the recent events that had been occurring. Even Gavin's Weavile, who was usually a bit moody, was having a good time.

The previous night, Professor Oak had called, and when he saw Gavin's Axew, he asked him if he could borrow it for a little while so that he could have a chance to study a Dragon-type from the Unova Region. Gavin had obliged, and in return, got back Weavile for his team.

Everything was so peaceful, and it seemed like nothing could mess up this day. Clearly though, they were wrong.

Suddenly, a blast of intense fire came down in the middle of the field. It was so powerful that everyone was knocked over.

"What was that?" May asked.

"It looked like a Blast Burn," Gary commented.

"A Blast Burn!" Ash repeated.

Then, as quick as a flash, a creature appeared in the middle of the field. It was a white-and-brown bipedal beagle-like creature with a round structure on its head that resembled a beret, floppy brown-colored ears, a brown-colored "collar" on its neck, brown rings encircling its eyes, two brown bands on each of its arms and one brown band on each of its legs, three digits on each limb, and it had a long tail with an end that resembled a paintbrush. The tail seemed to be excreting a green fluid and it had a green-colored footprint on its back.

"Smear-gle," It said with a swish of its paintbrush tail.

"It's a Smeargle!" Tracey exclaimed, his eyes widening and an expression of awe appearing on his face.

"A Smeargle?" Dawn thought out loud as she took out her Pokédex.

"_Smeargle, the Painter Pokémon. Colored fluids ooze from their tails which they use to mark their territory and to express themselves._"

"I'm gonna catch it!" Ash said enthusiastically. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu's tail took on a metallic shine and then it jumped into the air, did a flip, and headed straight towards Smeargle.

"Smear!" Smeargle simply cried. Then, it held out its tail and started making brush strokes with it. The tail began to glow white. After it stopped glowing, Smeargle jumped straight into the air towards Pikachu, and its tail had now taken on a familiar metallic shine. The two collided in mid-air and then broke apart, landing back in their previous positions.

"It's using Iron Tail!" Iris said in shock.

"That's Smeargle's Sketch attack," Max explained. "It's Smeargle's signature move. Smeargle can copy any attack it wants to permanently."

Everyone was shocked. It could learn _any _move?

"It must've run into somebody with a fully-evolved Fire starter," Gavin stated. "Only Charizard, Typhlosion, Blaziken, Infernape, and Emboar can learn that move naturally." Charizard's eyes widened at that new revelation.

Smeargle then opened its mouth and shot a huge blast of intense fire at Pikachu, engulfing the surprised Pokémon in flames. Everyone gasped.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out. As the flames cleared, everyone could see that the Electric Mouse Pokémon had been knocked out.

"Smear-smear-smear-smear-smear-smear!" Smeargle laughed.

"Hey, that's not funny!" May yelled furiously.

Smeargle then made a face at May, enraging her even more, but before she could her hands on it, it ran away into the trees and disappeared.

* * *

><p>"Azurill, use Refresh!"<p>

Misty's Azurill wrapped its tail around Pikachu and started glowing a light blue color. The glow spread to Pikachu, and it suddenly woke up.

"Pika-pika," He groaned, still feeling the burns from Smeargle's attack.

"Here, Pikachu, this might sting a bit, but it should help," Brock said as he crouched down and started to spray Pikachu's burns. Pikachu winced slightly from the spray, but got through it. Brock then covered the wounds with some bandages.

Iris then ran over to some bushes and grabbed some Oran Berries.

"Here's some Oran Berries, Pikachu," She said as she hand one to him. Pikachu took a bite of it and instantly felt better.

"Are you doing okay, buddy?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded in response. "Good."

"Did anyone notice how powerful that Smeargle was?" Max inquired.

"Yeah, that Blast Burn of his was pretty strong," Gary agreed.

"And now, it knows Pikachu's Iron Tail," Misty realized.

Everyone nodded, but then noticed Tracey frantically sketching something onto his sketchpad. Misty walked over and looked over his shoulder. She saw a brilliant sketch of Smeargle using its Blast Burn attack.

"Tracey, are you okay?" Misty asked.

"That power, that style," Tracey murmured as he continued his sketch. "I've never seen anything like it!"

He then stood up and raised a fist into the air.

"I am going to catch that Smeargle if it's the last thing I do!" He shouted, intense flames in his eyes. Everyone sweat dropped at the sight of the researcher's assistant.

"I think he's lost it," Meowth decided.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the group didn't know it, but they were being spied on by three pairs of eyes.<p>

"That Smeargle was certainly powerful," One said in feminine voice.

"Just think what the Boss will say if we bring it to him," A masculine voice added.

"Maro-wak," The third whispered.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, Tracey was on the hunt for the Painter Pokémon. The others followed quietly, not sure what to think of their clearly crazy friend.<p>

It didn't take them long before they found Smeargle in the middle of a forest clearing. It was sitting by itself, eating a Sitrus Berry.

"Ready, Marill?" Tracey said, looking towards his partner.

"Mar-ill," The Aqua Mouse Pokémon replied.

"Well, let's GO!" Tracey yelled and the two jumped out of the bushes. The others were surprised at his method of attack.

"Smear?" Smeargle said, shocked by the sudden appearance of the trainer.

"Marill, use Water Gun!" Tracey commanded.

Marill opened its mouth and shot a powerful stream of water out at the Normal-type Pokémon.

Smeargle opened its mouth and launched a Blast Burn at Marill's attack. It was so powerful that it caused the water to evaporate and continued coming for Marill.

"Marill, dodge it!" Tracey ordered. Marill quickly jumped out of the way of the intense Fire attack.

Smeargle tried to move, but it couldn't, red sparks appearing around it.

"Tracey was smart," Cilan remarked. "After a Pokémon uses Blast Burn, it can't move for a little while."

"Now, Marill, use BubbleBeam!" Tracey shouted.

Marill opened its mouth and shot blue bubbles from its mouth at Smeargle. Because it couldn't dodge, Smeargle was hit by the attack.

"Smear!" Smeargle cried out in pain.

"Alright, time to catch it! Pokéball, go!" Tracey yelled as he threw a Pokéball at Smeargle. However, as it came close to it, a giant metal hand came down and hit it back at Tracey. It then grabbed Smeargle and started to pull it up into the air.

"What!" Tracey yelled as he caught the Pokéball.

"Team Rocket!" Ash said with rage.

They all looked up to see a black balloon in the sky with two people and a Pokémon laughing evilly.

"Did someone call our name?" A woman with long red hair could be heard saying from the balloon.

"Surely we're not to blame!" A man with short blue hair next to her added.

"Putting the world in devastation!"

"Uniting all within the new sensation!"

"Thrusting the black dust of shadows throughout the age!"

"Blinding all with the fire of our rage!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Causing evil and chaos wherever we show!"

"Stealing Pokémon is the way we go!"

"Now say good-bye for Team Rocket's rhyme is done!"

"Mar-o-wak!" The Bone Keeper said, spinning its bone in its hand and then holding it on its shoulder.

"Let go of Smeargle!" Dawn yelled.

"I don't think so," Jessie said with a smirk.

"We'll keep this powerful Pokémon if you don't mind," James said sneering.

"But we do mind!" Ash shouted, taking out a Pokéball. "Haunter, I choose you!"

Ash threw the Pokéball into the air and in a flash of light, Haunter appeared. Then, however, it immediately started glowing in a bright white light.

"What!" Ash said in shock.

"Haunter's evolving!" Brock realized.

As the light faded, a new creature appeared Haunter's place. It looked like a dark-purple furred creature with a roundish body. Its hands were now connected to the rest of its body and it now had a pair of legs. It had spikes of fur on its back and its eyes were now red. Its mouth was curled into a sinister grin.

"Haunter evolved into Gengar!" Misty exclaimed.

Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

"_Gengar, the Shadow Pokémon. The evolved form of Haunter. It can absorb any surrounding heat, leaving a sudden chill._"

"But how?" Max asked. "Haunter's not supposed to evolve unless it's traded!"

"Well, Ash did give Haunter to Sabrina back in Kanto and then she gave it back," Brock thought out loud.

"Plus, Ash usually sent Haunter back in exchange for another Pokémon while we've been in Amaro," May added.

"Gengar, you ready to battle?" Ash inquired. Gengar gave him a thumbs-up. "Okay, use Shadow Ball to free Smeargle!"

Gengar's hands sparked up with blue electricity. Then, it formed a black, shadowy orb in between its hands and launched it at the metal hand's extension, breaking it and causing Smeargle to begin to fall.

"Scyther, save Smeargle!" Tracey yelled, throwing a Pokéball into the air. The green Mantis Pokémon appeared and flew up to Smeargle, catching the Painter Pokémon. Smeargle's eyes widened as it looked up at Scyther. They then flew back to the ground and Scyther put Smeargle on the ground.

"You okay, Smeargle?" Tracey asked. Smeargle nodded and gave him a smile.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt and Gengar, use Shadow Ball!" Ash commanded.

"Marill, use Water Gun!" Tracey ordered.

The three Pokémon launched their attacks and Smeargle added a Blast Burn into the mix. The four attacks spiraled and combined as they headed for the screaming Team Rocket. The balloon exploded and the trio flew out of sight.

* * *

><p>"You did it!" The girls exclaimed.<p>

"Yeah, but it was really Tracey and Gengar that did it," Ash said modestly.

Tracey suddenly felt a tap on the back of his leg. He turned around and saw Smeargle standing there smiling and pointing at the Pokéball in Tracey's hand.

"Huh?" Tracey said, looking at the Pokéball and then at Smeargle. "Are you saying that you want to come with me?"

Smeargle nodded and then Tracey threw the Pokéball at it. Smeargle disappeared in a flash of red light and the ball wiggled on the ground for a few moments before sparking to signify successful capture.

"I caught a Smeargle!" Tracey said, holding the ball into the air.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 25: "Learning the Ultimate Move! Charizard and Blast Burn!"<span>_- After hearing that Tracey's new Smeargle can use Blast Burn, Charizard wants to learn the move as well. However, after trying and trying to use the move, Charizard can't seem to get it and gets mad at Ash. Will Charizard be able to learn and master Blast Burn? And what happens when an old rival appears for a rematch of the Fire-types? Stay tuned to find out!

**Hope you liked it! Read & Review! Before I go, there's some things I need to do.**

**I want to advertise a new story by a new writer that is doing well so far! Beastmode953's "Return With Avengence!" It's really good so far, and this writer has gotten off to a great start! Read this story!**

**Until next time! See ya!  
><strong>


	25. Chapter 25

**Here's Chapter 25! I**** hope you readers like it! Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon no matter how cool it would be if I did.**

_Chapter 25: "Learning the Ultimate Move! Charizard and Blast Burn!"_

It was just another beautiful morning as Ash opened his eyes. Everything was so peaceful, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

As he yawned and stretched, a scene flashed through his mind. He saw a powerful blast of intense fire launched into the air, causing an object floating in the sky to explode into a cloud of smoke.

Ever since yesterday when Tracey had caught the Smeargle that Pikachu had battled earlier, Ash couldn't stop thinking about that amazing move that the Painter Pokémon was able to use: Blast Burn.

* * *

><p>(Flashback)<p>

_ "It must've run into somebody with a fully-evolved Fire starter," Gavin stated. "Only Charizard, Typhlosion, Blaziken, Infernape, and Emboar can learn that move naturally." _

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>Ash had heard about the ultimate moves, but had never heard about or even seen the ultimate Fire-type move.<p>

Ash thought about the other two ultimate moves. He remembered seeing May's Venusaur and Paul's Torterra use Frenzy Plant, the ultimate Grass-type move. Then, he recalled how Gary's Blastoise and Barry's Empoleon could use Hydro Cannon, the ultimate Water-type move.

Ash then got up out of his sleeping bag and noticed that everyone else was still asleep. Even Pikachu, who had been sleeping beside him, was tucked cozily in the sleeping bag. Ash smiled at the sight of his partner.

He then looked over at May, who was sleeping peacefully in her sleeping bag. Ash's smile didn't show a hint of remission as he thought about how pretty she looked, even when she was asleep. Ash crouched down, gave her a peck on the forehead to which she smiled in her sleep. Ash then stood back up, quickly got dressed, and walked off into the woods.

* * *

><p>Ash walked until he reached a forest clearing that was far enough from the others so that they wouldn't be disturbed.<p>

"Charizard, come on out, buddy!" Ash said as he threw a Pokéball into the air. In a flash of light, the Flame Pokémon appeared on the grass in front of him. Charizard roared happily in greeting.

"Hey, buddy," Ash said, beaming at his Pokémon. "You remember that move we saw Tracey's new Smeargle use yesterday?" Charizard nodded expectantly.

"Well, I want you to learn it," Ash continued. "Only you and the other fully-evolved Fire-type starter Pokémon can learn it naturally, and as you were my first Fire-type, I want you to be the first to learn it."

Charizard grinned in approval. Then, the two realized something.

"Uh, Charizard, do you know how to learn Blast Burn?" Ash asked.

Charizard shook his head and Ash face palmed himself.

"How are we supposed to teach you Blast Burn, when we don't know how!" Ash yelled, holding his hands to his head, clearly panicking.

"Maybe we can help," Ash heard a voice say behind him. He and Charizard turned around to see a familiar-looking and tall trainer with short-and-spiky brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a red-and-purple shirt, white wristbands with a single black stripe down the middle, khaki-colored pants, blue sneakers with yellow stripes, and a yellow backpack. Standing next to him was a large, red bird-like creature with long, beige-colored, hair-like feathers on its head, a red crest on its head with two points, resembling a "V," blue eyes with yellow scleras, a hooked beak, gray three-fingered hands, and strong, muscular legs with yellow feathers on the bottoms.

Ash's eyes widened and a grin appeared on his face.

"Harrison!"

* * *

><p>After greeting each other, the two walked back together to the campsite, where everyone had by now woken up.<p>

"Hey, Misty, Brock, and Gary!" Ash yelled out to them. "Look who I ran into!"

The three looked over and their faces broke out into smiles when they saw who it was.

"Harrison!" Misty exclaimed.

"It's great to see you!" Brock said as he shook his hand.

"Same to you guys!" Harrison said with a nod.

"Ash, who's this?" May asked.

"This is Harrison," Ash said, gesturing to his friend. "He's a trainer from Hoenn that I met back when I was traveling through Johto. He's…"

"He's the guy that beat you in the Silver Conference!" Max suddenly yelled upon realization. He ran up to Harrison and shook his hand. "I watched that battle between you two all of the time! Your Blaziken was amazing! I can't believe that I finally get to meet you in person! You, the guy that beat Ash!"

"Thanks," Harrison replied, a bit unsure of this young trainer. Beside him, Ash was steaming up a bit. Then, Harrison's eyes widened. "Hey, you look a bit familiar. Would you happen to be related to Norman of the Petalburg Gym?"

"Yeah, he's our dad," May answered for her stunned and star struck little brother.

"Harrison, this is my girlfriend May and her little brother Max," Ash said, introducing the three Hoenn natives to each other. "I met them when I went on my journey through the Hoenn Region."

"Nice to meet you," Harrison said, beaming at them.

"And this is Tracey, Dawn, Gavin, Iris, and Cilan," Ash said, gesturing towards the others. "Tracey traveled with me and Misty through the Orange Islands, and is now Professor Oak's research assistant; Dawn traveled with me and Brock through the Sinnoh Region. She and May are coordinators and they're competing in the Amaro Contests together; Gavin is my cousin from the Johto Region; and Iris and Cilan are the two that traveled with me through the Unova Region."

"Hey! You forgot me!" Meowth yelled.

"Haven't I seen that Meowth somewhere before?" Harrison said, pondering the matter.

"Yeah, you met him before when he was in Team Rocket, but now, he's a good guy," Ash explained.

"Cool." Harrison said with a nod. He then looked to Ash. "So, Ash, you and Charizard ready to begin learning Blast Burn?"

"You bet!" Ash said with a grin. Pikachu and Charizard both looked determined as well.

* * *

><p>Everyone sat down and watched as Ash and Charizard got ready to begin their training.<p>

"Okay, first thing, Ash," Harrison said as he and Blaziken stood in front of them. "In order for Charizard to learn Blast Burn, we'll need to activate its Blaze ability."

"Huh, why?" Ash asked.

"Well, as you know, Blast Burn is the ultimate Fire-type move that only fully-evolved Fire-type starters can learn naturally," Harrison began. "So, when using it for the first time, the Pokémon must be at the point where they are able to use their maximum fire power, which is when Blaze is activated."

"So how do we activate it?" Ash inquired.

"How about a one-on-one battle between Charizard and my Blaziken?" Harrison suggested.

"Sure," Ash answered, an intense looks appearing in his eyes. "Let's do it."

* * *

><p>"This will be a one-on-one battle between Ash's Charizard and Harrison's Blaziken!" Brock said, acting as referee. Ash and Harrison stood on opposite sides of the field, and Charizard and Blaziken looked raring to go. "There will be no substitutions! When one side's Pokémon is unable to battle, the other side will be the winner! Now begin!"<p>

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash commanded.

Charizard opened its mouth and shot a powerful jet of flame at its opponent.

"Blaziken, use your Flamethrower a well!" Harrison ordered.

Blaziken's wrists lit up on fire and then it shot a stream of flame from its mouth at Charizard's attack. The two attacks collided and exploded, creating a cloud of black smoke.

"Blaziken, use Quick Attack!" Harrison yelled.

Blaziken jumped into the air and then rammed Charizard at a fast speed. Charizard was knocked back a few feet, but soon shook it off.

"Charizard, hit it with Steel Wing!" Ash shouted.

Charizard's wings gave off a metallic shine as it took off into the air and then began to head straight towards Blaziken.

"Blaziken, dodge it and then use Blaze Kick from above!" Harrison instructed.

Blaziken gave a mighty jump high into the air just as Charizard was about to hit it. Then, it started heading down towards it, aiming a fiery kick at the dragon.

"Charizard, quick, dodge it!" Ash directed.

Charizard managed to turn sideways and fly to the right, avoiding Blaziken's kick. Blaziken easily landed back on the ground.

"Now, use DragonBreath!" Ash ordered.

Charizard opened its mouth and released a green-and-yellow beam at the Blaze Pokémon.

"Mirror Move!" Harrison shouted.

A glass-like energy shaped like a mirror appeared out in front of Blaziken and deflected the DragonBreath back at a surprised Charizard. Charizard was knocked to the ground by its own attack.

"Charizard, are you okay?" Ash asked. Charizard didn't answer as it struggled to stand back up. Suddenly, however, its body began to give off a fiery red aura.

"Hey, Ash, Blaze has been activated!" Max yelled.

"Alright, Ash. Have Charizard store all of its energy in its gut, then have it let it out in a burst of flame!" Harrison shouted at Ash.

"Okay! Charizard, did you hear him? Store all of your energy in your gut, and then, let it out when it's all charged up!" Ash said to his Pokémon, who nodded.

Charizard closed its eyes and the aura of Blaze went into its gut. It began glowing brighter and brighter, until it became almost blinding.

"Now, Charizard, Blast Burn!" Ash commanded.

Charizard opened its mouth to launch the attack. However, nothing but a puff of black smoke came out.

"Huh?" Ash said confusedly. "Try it again."

Charizard opened its mouth, and again, only a puff of smoke came out. Charizard started to look a little scared as it tried and tried to use the attack.

"Ash, I don't know how to tell you this," Harrison said, looking a bit solemn. "But maybe Charizard can't use Blast Burn at all."

"Why not?" Ash asked with a pained expression on his face.

"It usually takes a strong bond between the Pokémon and its trainer, and it has to have been yours originally," Harrison explained. "Tell me, did Charizard once have another trainer?"

"Uh, yeah," Ash said, still confused and a bit sad. "But Charizard has been my Pokémon for a while! Shouldn't a bond have been created?"

"Yes, but maybe it isn't strong enough," Harrison said uneasily. "Maybe Charizard isn't strong enough."

Suddenly, Charizard let out a loud and angry roar. It blasted fire into the air and then started flying around in the air and blasting flames at the ground, causing everyone to have to run out of the way.

"Charizard! Ash yelled as he ran towards his Pokémon. "Stop it now!"

Charizard simply just turned towards him and launched an Overheat at him. The attack would've hit Ash, but May jumped towards him and knocked him out of the way, taking the blast for him.

"May!" Ash shouted as she fell to the ground. He rushed over to her side and grabbed her hand. Tears filled his eyes when he saw the burn on her side.

"HOW COULD YOU!" Ash burst out, yelling at Charizard. "IF YOU HAD JUST LISTENED TO ME AND CALMED DOWN, MAY WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN HURT! NO WONDER YOU COULDN'T LEARN BLAST BURN!"

Charizard looked a bit shocked at Ash's words, along with the others, and Ash immediately regretted those words. A tear appeared in Charizard's eye and then it flew off into the forest.

* * *

><p>While everyone was busy preparing ways to treat May, who was still unconscious, Ash sat constantly beside her as she lay on her sleeping bag in the middle of their campsite. Ash felt a pang in his heart as he looked at the burn on May's side.<p>

Ash mentally beat himself up for letting this happen. It was his fault that all of this had happened. If he had just been a better trainer, none of this would have happened and Charizard wouldn't have flown away. May wouldn't have been hurt.

"Ash, it wasn't your fault," He suddenly heard a voice say softly next to him.

He looked down and saw that May's eyes were opened. She tried to get up, but she winced at the pain in her side.

"Don't strain yourself," Ash said as he quickly put his arm around her back, keeping her from falling. "You should be resting."

"Ash, hand me my bag," May ordered as she lay back down. Ash obliged and handed her the dark green waist pack. May opened it up and took out a Pokéball. She pushed the button and in a flash of light, Venusaur, the Seed Pokémon appeared.

"Venusaur, you know what to do," May said, to which her Pokémon nodded. A vine came out of its back and then extended, stopping at May's burn. Venusaur's body became surrounded by a green glow, which went down its vine until it reached the burn. The burn glowed momentarily and then, the glow and the burn disappeared.

"That's better," May said, now able to breathe easier. She looked over at Ash, who had a confused expression on his face. "To answer your question, I came up with this method of healing while I was in the Johto Region. I was training near Mount Silver for the Grand Festival, and I got in a bit of trouble with an enraged Ursaring. I tried to battle it with Blaziken, and Blaziken got a bad wound from a Hyper Beam. With no Pokémon Center anywhere close by, I had to figure out a way to heal it. Venusaur offered to share its Synthesis with it.

"Ash, it wasn't your fault that I got hurt. I made the choice to save you, like you saved me all of those times before."

"But it was my fault," Ash said, a tear appearing in his eye, "If I had just had a better bond with Charizard, he would've been able to use Blast Burn and you wouldn't have been hurt."

"Ash, stop beating yourself up over that," May said sternly. "I'm fine, but Charizard isn't. It's off by itself, angry at itself and everyone for what happened. Go find it and make up."

"Okay," Ash said smiling at her. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and then went off with Pikachu to find his friend.

* * *

><p>Charizard blasted a jet of flame at a tree standing in the forest clearing. The tree instantly lit up on fire and burned to the ground. A tear slid down his face.<p>

"Charizard?" He heard a feeble voice say behind him.

The orange dragon turned around and saw its trainer standing there with Pikachu on his shoulder.

Charizard angrily shot a jet of flame at the boy. Ash quickly dodged it and continued to stare at his Pokémon.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you!" Ash cried out. "I'm sorry that you weren't able to use Blast Burn!"

Charizard blasted another Flamethrower at him. Ash jumped to the left, just barely dodging the stream of fire.

"It's not your fault! Blame me if you must, but don't blame yourself!" Ash said as the Flame Pokémon flew closer to him, his eyes blazing with fury.

Suddenly, however, a silver blast came out of nowhere towards the three of them. It just barely missed them. They looked towards the source of the blast and saw a huge, monstrous, black-and-gray, bipedal creature with a thick, long black tail, gray armor on its face and head, two sharp horns protruding from its head, sky blue eyes, and a large jaw with fang-like protrusions coming out of it.

"Agg-ron!" The creature roared at them. Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned it.

_"__Aggron, the Iron Armor Pokémon. Aggron is the final evolution of Aron. It shows no mercy to anyone who disturbs its habitat." _

"Uh, oh," Ash said as he, Pikachu, and Charizard looked around at the damage the Fire-and-Flying-type Pokémon had caused.

Aggron then opened its mouth and a small silver ball of energy appeared in front of its mouth. It then fired a silver beam at them.

Charizard grabbed Ash and Pikachu and then flew up into the air, dodging the Flash Cannon.

"Charizard,…thank you," Ash said as he and Pikachu looked up to him. Charizard nodded and smiled. Then, Charizard was suddenly hit in the back by another Flash Cannon. It fell out of the sky and landed on its back, protecting Ash and Pikachu from the impact. He slowly stood back up, put them down on the ground, and then turned to face Aggron.

Aggron shot another Flash Cannon at Charizard and Charizard responded with a Flamethrower. The two attacks collided and created a cloud of black smoke.

None of them could see past the smoke, but then, a silver beam came through the middle of it and hit Charizard in the chest. Charizard fell to the ground, struggling to stay conscious.

_ BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_ Charizard looked up and saw Aggron looming over him. A silver ball appeared in front of the Aggron's mouth.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Charizard suddenly heard Ash yell. He then saw Aggron being electrocuted by yellow lightning.

He turned and saw his trainer giving him a thumbs-up sign.

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu yelled, pointing where the rogue Pokémon had recovered.

Aggron began rushing towards Ash and Pikachu, its body surrounded by a metallic light. Charizard's tail flame began growing bigger and its body began glowing in a red aura.

Just as Ash and Pikachu were about to be hit by the rampaging Pokémon, Charizard got up, flew right in front of them, caught Aggron and threw it back several yards. Then, just as Aggron stood back up, Charizard's eyes went red and he blasted a large and powerful horizontal cyclone of flame that exploded inwardly as it bombarded the Steel-and-Rock-type Pokémon. The three of them could see that Aggron had been knocked out.

"Charizard, you just used Blast Burn!" Ash exclaimed. Charizard roared triumphantly.

* * *

><p>Later, the three of them flew back to the camp. By this time, May had healed and Charizard apologized for burning her. After everything was all settled, Ash challenged Harrison and Blaziken to a rematch.<p>

"Are you sure you want to battle again, Ash?" Harrison asked.

"Yeah, things will be different this time," Ash said, giving Charizard a knowing look.

* * *

><p>"Okay, same rules as last time," Brock said as he stood to the side of the field. "Begin!"<p>

"Charizard, use Steel Wing!" Ash commanded.

Charizard's wings gave off a metallic shine as he took off into the air and started to fly towards the Blaze Pokémon.

"Blaziken, use Flamethrower!" Harrison yelled.

Blaziken opened its mouth and released a stream of flame at the Flame Pokémon.

"Charizard, dodge it!" Ash instructed.

"Pika-pika-chu!" Pikachu added. ("Do a barrel roll!")

Charizard spun in mid-air, dodging Blaziken's attack completely. Charizard then headed straight towards Blaziken and grabbed it.

"Now, use Seismic Toss!" Ash ordered.

Charizard flew up higher into the air with Blaziken in his arms, span around, and then, zoomed back down and tossed Blaziken towards the ground.

"Blaziken, use Sky Uppercut!" Harrison directed.

Blaziken turned around in the air as it fell and then bounced from the ground back up towards Charizard and uppercut him with a glowing blue fist. Charizard was knocked back through the air a few feet before he shook it off.

"Finish it off with Blast Burn!" Harrison yelled.

Blaziken's wrists ignited and its body gave off a fiery red aura. It then opened its mouth and fired a powerful blast of intense flame at the orange dragon.

"Charizard, dodge it, quick!" Ash cried.

Charizard flapped its wings and flew up higher into the air, just barely dodging Blaziken's attack.

"Charizard, let's show them what you can do!" Ash said with a mischievous grin on his face. "Use Blast Burn!"

Charizard roared and then, his eyes turned red, his body gave off a fiery red aura, and the flame on his tail grew larger. He then opened his mouth and released a large and powerful horizontal cyclone of flame at Blaziken, who was unable to move. As the attack bombarded Blaziken, it exploded inwardly.

As the fire faded, Blaziken struggled to stand, but then, it winced in pain and fell over. Everyone could see that it had swirls in its eyes.

"Blaziken is unable to battle!" Brock announced to everyone. "Charizard is the winner!"

* * *

><p>Everyone congratulated Charizard on learning Blast Burn, including Harrison and Blaziken.<p>

"Nice work, Ash!" Harrison said, shaking Ash's hand. "I guess you two had a strong bond after all."

"Thanks, Harrison," Ash said with grin. "So, are you competing in the Amaro League?"

Harrison nodded and answered, "Yeah. Hey, maybe if we're lucky, we'll get to battle again in the Amaro League Conference!"

"Can't wait," Ash said as Harrison began to turn to leave.

"See ya guys," Harrison said as he and Blaziken began to walk off together.

"Bye!" The group yelled, waving.

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu shouted.

Charizard shot a jet a flame into the air as a way of saying goodbye.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 26: "A High-Flying Experience! Ash Ketchum V.S. The Master of Winds!"<span>_- Ash and friends have arrived in Denote City, the site of Ash's third gym battle and May and Dawn's next contest! Because their contest isn't for two days, the group decides to go to Ash's gym battle first. But what happens when they get directions from a familiar source, and find out that it's a four-on-four battle in the air? You'll have to wait and see!

**Yeah! Great job, Charizard! Hope you guys liked it! By the way, see if you can find the Easter Egg in this chapter! Read & Review!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Here's Chapter 26! Hope you like it! Sorry it took so long! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 26: "A High-Flying Experience! Ash Ketchum V.S. The Master of Winds!"_

"Wow! What a sight!" Dawn exclaimed as she looked at all of the buildings around her.

The group had just arrived in Denote City, the site of both Ash's next gym battle _and_ May & Dawn's next contest.

Denote City was huge. It was possibly even bigger than Castelia City back in Unova. There were large buildings all around, with shops and restaurants, and much, much more!

"I can't wait to compete in this contest!" May said enthusiastically.

"Soon we'll have our second ribbon!" Dawn added.

"Yeah!" They both said in unison, giving each other a high five.

"Uh, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't your contest not for three days?" Max stated.

May and Dawn's heads hung down, sadly knowing that the young trainer was correct.

"Are they always like this?" Iris quietly asked Misty.

"Most of the time, yes," Misty answered.

"Well, I guess we're going to Ash's gym battle first," Brock said, already looking up where the gym was on his Pokégear.

"Yeah! I'm gonna win! Right, Pikachu?" Ash said, looking at the electric mouse on his shoulder.

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu said with a determined grin, doing a fist-pump.

Then, they all suddenly heard a large growling noise.

"Uh, why don't we get lunch first," Ash said as he sheepishly rubbed his belly.

* * *

><p>The group then made their way to the Denote City Pokémon Center where they sat down to a nice lunch from the center's cafeteria. Both Ash and May's plates were piled high with various food items.<p>

"I guess Ash really did find the perfect girl to match his appetite," Cilan said, sweat dropping as he watched the two eat vigorously.

"I still can't believe that the 'kid' found a girlfriend," Iris said with a confused expression on her face.

Meanwhile, Dawn was looking around the room frantically until she finally asked the others, "Has anybody seen Gavin?"

The others shook their heads and then began to ponder the matter as well. After they had gotten to the center, the boy and his Pichu had run off to do something. What that something was, they had no idea.

"I'm sure he'll turn up," Misty said reassuringly.

After they all finished eating, they all decided to go ahead and go to the gym without him. Before they could leave, however, Ash got a text on his Pokédex that said: _Ash- Be prepared for a high-flying battle- J._

"Who's 'J'?" May asked.

Ash shrugged, but then realized what it meant.

"Hang on just one second, guys," He said, running over to the videophone room. They waited there for about five minutes, and then he came back.

"Okay, let's go," He said, pulling Pikachu back onto his shoulder.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, the group finally found the gym. It was a large building that was painted light blue with white cloud-like prints all over it. There was a large amount of stairs leading up to the door, and at the top of the steps stood Gavin with Pichu on his shoulder.<p>

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!" Dawn yelled as she ran up the steps at an unbelievable speed, stopping in front of the boy and grabbing him by his shirt collar.

Gavin flinched as she yelled in his face, but then relaxed and said, "I went to get you something."

He then pulled an object from behind his back and Dawn saw that it was a yellow rose. Her expression softened and her eyes immediately lit up.

"It's beautiful! You're forgiven!" Dawn said as she took the rose and embraced the boy.

After they broke the embrace, Gavin gestured towards the door and said, "Shall we go in?"

* * *

><p>As they stepped inside, they saw a large, airborne battlefield. There were several floating platforms and pillars, and on each side of the field, there were two towers that had elevator platforms that the trainers stood on during the battle.<p>

"Welcome!" They all suddenly heard a voice say. They turned and saw a woman that looked just barely older than Brock with long, flowing blonde hair and eyes light blue like the sky itself. She wore a brown leather bomber jacket like pilots wore and a sleeveless white inner shirt, both of which stopped just above her exposed bellybutton. She also wore a pair of faded jeans, a pair of black high heels, and a pair of goggles that hung around her neck. Next to her was a familiar-looking, black cloak adorned fellow.

"Hello, my friends!" Jeremiah said with a wave, his Murkrow Mimi imitating him.

Pichu put his hand to his forehead, closed his eyes, and said to himself, "_Not that blasted Murkrow again_."

Suddenly, however, they all heard a _ZOOM_ sound, and before they knew it, Brock was kneeling in front of the woman, clutching her hand.

"Hello there, my sweet," He said in his usual love-struck voice. "Are you an angel? Because if you were, I would fly the most powerful plane in order to reach you and your unmatched beauty. I…OUCH!"

Brock winced up as he was jabbed in the back by the ever-present Croagunk. The Toxic Mouth Pokémon then took it upon himself to drag his trainer away.

"Looks like he's been grounded," Max said with a chuckle.

The woman then recomposed herself and then said, "Anyways, my name is Ariel, and I am the leader of this gym."

"They call her the 'Master of Winds,'" Jeremiah commented. "And as Brock said earlier, she is indeed an unmatched beauty throughout the entire Amaro Region. Maybe even the entire planet."

"Jeremiah, if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times," Ariel began, looking a bit irritated. "I will not go out with you!"

"But why not?" Jeremiah said before pulling out a puppet of an old man with a long white beard. "'_What I feel for you seems less of earth and more of a cloudless heaven_.'"

"Again, no," Ariel said, in a tone that said that the topic was done. Jeremiah's head dropped and he went over to corner and sulked, along with Brock. Everyone sweat dropped at this sight.

"So…which of you is the challenger?" Ariel asked, trying to change the subject.

"That would be me!" Ash said with a confident grin on his face.

"Alright, let's get to it!" Ariel replied, looking ready to battle.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, Ash and Ariel were standing on opposite sides of the air field, both looking willing and ready. The others were all sitting in the audience. Surprisingly, Pikachu was sitting in May's arms.<p>

"This will be a gym battle between Ariel, the leader of the Denote City Gym and Ash Ketchum, the challenger from Pallet Town," A female referee that was dressed up like a flight attendant said to everyone. "It will be a four-on-four battle, and only the challenger will be allowed to make substitutions."

"I wonder why Ash isn't using Pikachu," May commented as she held the little Pokémon in her arms. "Isn't Electric the best against Flying-types?"

"Ash must have some sort of a strategy," Brock said, now fully recovered. "We'll have to wait and see what it is."

"Let the battle begin!" The referee shouted.

* * *

><p>"Braviary, take to the skies!" Ariel cried out as she threw a Pokéball into the air.<p>

In a flash of light, a large, eagle-like creature appeared in the air. Its face and underside were navy in color, while its back and the dorsal side of its wings were dark red. It had a blue cere above its yellow beak, and extending from it was a red, three-pointed crest. White plumes sprout from each point of the crest and similar feathers were present at the sides of its face. Its legs were feathered down to its feet, ending in spiky feathers on the upper portions of its large yellow talons with black nails. It also had red tail feathers with a yellow sub terminal band and a blue tip.

Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned the eagle Pokémon.

"_Braviary, the Valiant Pokémon. The evolved form of Rufflet. They fight for their friends without any thought about danger to themselves. The more scars they have, the more respect these brave soldiers of the sky get from their peers. One can carry a car while flying._"

"This is not going to be easy," Ash said to himself. "But let's give it all we got! Sceptile, I choose you!"

Ash threw a Pokéball into the air, and in a flash of light, the large, green gecko creature appeared on one of the floating platforms.

"Tile!" Sceptile cried as it appeared, immediately putting its trusty twig into its mouth.

* * *

><p>"Why is Ash using Sceptile!" Iris said with shock. "Doesn't he know that Grass-types are weak against Flying-types? And Sceptile's a land Pokémon! It can't fly!"<p>

"You'll have to wait and see about that, Iris," May said with a knowing smile on her face.

* * *

><p>"A Grass-type, huh?" Ariel said, a bit surprised. "You're bold, I'll give you that. But boldness won't get you far! Braviary, use Air Slash!"<p>

Braviary brought its wing down in a slashing motion, and sent a blade of air at Sceptile.

"Sceptile, dodge it!" Ash yelled.

"Tile!" Sceptile said as it jumped at an unbelievable speed out of the way to a pillar close by.

"Sceptile, use Leaf Blade!" Ash commanded.

The four leaves on Sceptile's wrists took on a light green glow and form into two blades. Sceptile then jumped and glided towards Braviary and slashed it.

As Braviary was hit back by the attack and Sceptile flew around in the air, Ariel, in shock, cried out, "Sceptile can fly!"

Ash nodded. They had learned this technique back during the days when he traveled with May, Max, and Brock through the Kanto Battle Frontier after being attacked by a cloaked Scizor.

Sceptile then glided over to one of the pillars and stuck to the side of it, looking ready to pounce.

"Braviary, use Aerial Ace!" Ariel shouted.

Braviary's body became engulfed in streaks of light as it flew at Sceptile at a super-fast speed.

"Sceptile, use Detect!" Ash ordered.

Sceptile's eyes glowed light blue and then it amazingly dodged Braviary's attack at the last second, causing Braviary to crash into the pillar.

"Now, use Leaf Storm!" Ash instructed.

A cyclone of glowing green leaves came out of Sceptile's back as it glided above the dazed Braviary.

"Braviary, use Whirlwind!" Ariel directed.

Braviary flapped its large wings rapidly, creating a wind that blew the leaves away from it. Sceptile quickly had to grab onto one of the pillars to be kept from blowing away.

"Now, use Brave Bird!" She yelled.

Braviary started flying towards Sceptile, its body cloaked by a fire that soon turned into a blue aura as it torpedoed itself at the Forest Pokémon.

"Sceptile, dodge it!" Ash shouted.

Sceptile jumped to try and dodge the attack, but Braviary flew right towards it and tackled it in the gut. They both were continuing to head towards the ceiling.

"Sceptile, stop it with Thunder Punch!" Ash commanded.

Sceptile was struggling, but it managed to lift its fist, which was now cloaked in yellow electricity, and punch the Valiant Pokémon. Braviary was electrified by this attack, giving Sceptile the opportunity to glide away.

"Now finish it off with Solarbeam!" Ash ordered.

The seeds on Sceptile's back lit up as they absorbed energy, and then, Sceptile opened its mouth and released a yellow beam of light at Braviary. An explosion of black smoke occurred, and when it cleared, Braviary had fallen on top of one of the platforms and was knocked out.

"Braviary is unable to battle! Sceptile is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"So that's why he used Sceptile," Misty said with a smile.<p>

"Yeah, who knew ol' Sceppy could fly?" Meowth said remarkably.

* * *

><p>Ariel recalled her Braviary and then took out another Pokéball.<p>

"Skarmory, take to the skies!" She yelled as she threw the ball into the air.

In a flash of light, a large, metal-covered bird-like creature with razor sharp wings was flying in the air.

"Sceptile, return and take a nice rest!" Ash said as he recalled Sceptile. He then took out another Pokéball and yelled, "Charizard, I choose you!"

In a flash of light, the orange dragon Pokémon appeared into the air with a roar of flame.

"Skarmory, use Steel Wing!" Ariel shouted.

Skarmory's wings took on a metallic glow, and then it started speeding towards Charizard.

"Charizard, use Steel Wing as well!" Ash commanded.

Charizard's wings glowed like Skarmory and then it also began flying towards Skarmory. The two's wings clashed and then they broke apart and flew back to their previous positions.

"Skarmory, use Drill Peck!" Ariel instructed.

Skarmory started barreling towards Charizard, its beak spinning like a drill.

"Charizard, use Dragon Rage!" Ash ordered.

Charizard's eyes glowed white and its tail flame grew to a large size. It then opened its mouth and launched a large, fiery ball at Skarmory, creating an explosion and stopping it in its tracks.

"Now, use Blast Burn!" Ash yelled.

Charizard roared and its eyes turned red. Its body took on a red aura and its tail's flame grew by a large amount. It then opened its mouth and released a cyclone of exploding flame at its opponent. Skarmory was hit by the explosion and knocked into a pillar. As the smoke cleared, Skarmory was seen to have swirls in its eyes.

"Skarmory is unable to battle! Charizard is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"Way to go, Ash!" May called out.<p>

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu cheered.

* * *

><p>Both Ash and Ariel recalled their Pokémon and took out new Pokéballs.<p>

"Staraptor, I choose you/take to the skies!" They both yelled.

In a flash of light, Ash's Staraptor appeared in the air, along with another Staraptor, but this other one was brown with a blue-tipped crest on its head, instead of the usual gray body with a red-tipped crest.

"It looks like we both have a Staraptor," Ariel commented. "Let's see whose is better. Staraptor, use Aerial Ace!"

"You too, Staraptor!" Ash shouted.

Both Pokémon began speeding towards each other, their bodies engulfed in streaks of white light. They both crashed into each other and then broke apart and flew close to each other. Both of them looked ready to fight.

"Use Close Combat!" Ash/Ariel commanded.

The two birds began to repeatedly hit, kick, and peck each other with their wings, claws, and beaks at a fast speed.

"Fly back and use Brave Bird!" Ash ordered.

"The same, Staraptor!" Ariel instructed.

The two Staraptor both flew back a bit and then started torpedoing towards each other, their bodies surrounded by a blue aura. The two crashed and created a cloud of black smoke.

As the smoke cleared, the two Pokémon were standing on one of the platforms, both breathing heavily. Then, they both winced in pain and fell over. They both had swirls in their eyes.

"Neither side is unable to battle! This round is pronounced a tie!"

* * *

><p>"Now, Ariel has only one Pokémon left, while Ash still has three," Brock thought out loud.<p>

"Yes, but this last one is a doozy," Jeremiah said, his eyes unwavering from the battle. "They don't call her the 'Master of Winds' for nothing."

* * *

><p>"Pidgeot, take to the skies!" Ariel yelled as she threw a Pokéball into the air.<p>

In a flash of light, a Pidgeot that looked to be slightly larger than most appeared over the field.

"Gliscor, I choose you!" Ash shouted, throwing a Pokéball into the air.

As the Fang Scorpion Pokémon appeared in the air, it smiled, winked and stuck its tongue out.

"Gliscor, use X-Scissor!" Ash commanded.

Gliscor's claws glowed light blue and then it crossed them in an "X" formation, creating a light blue "X" in front of it as it speeded towards Pidgeot.

"Pidgeot, use Air Slash!" Ariel ordered.

Pidgeot brought both of its wings down in a slashing motion, sending two blades of air at Gliscor and causing an explosion that stopped Gliscor's attack.

"Now, use Hurricane!" Ariel instructed.

Pidgeot flapped its wings rapidly, creating strong gusts of wind that created a large and powerful tornado that was sent towards Gliscor, engulfing it.

"Gliscor!" Ash cried.

"Gliiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Gliscor screamed as it span around and around the large spiral.

"Pidgeot, finish it off with Giga Impact!" Ariel shouted.

Pidgeot's body was surrounded by purple energy with yellow-orange streaks as it barreled towards the cyclone and Gliscor.

"Gliscor, use Stone Edge!" Ash commanded.

Gliscor's eyes glowed white and two light blue rings appeared around it. Then, the rings glowed white and turned into gray rocks. It then sent them from its body into the cyclone.

"Now move to the hurricane's eye!" Ash yelled.

Gliscor did as he said, and then, Pidgeot struck the tornado, but it was hit by the rocks and both the energy and the hurricane disappeared.

"Gliscor, use Screech!" Ash ordered.

Gliscor opened its mouth and called out loudly, distorting the air around it and hurting everybody's ears, including Pidgeot's (if it actually has any).

"Now, finish it off with Giga Impact!" Ash instructed.

Gliscor's body was surrounded by a purple energy with yellow-orange streaks and then, it flew towards Pidgeot and tackled it out of the sky.

Pidgeot fell to the one of the platforms and was knocked out.

"Pidgeot is unable to battle! Gliscor is the winner! The victory goes to Ash!"

* * *

><p>"Yeah, we did it!" Ash exclaimed back on the ground.<p>

He and his Pokémon were jumping around excitedly as they happily celebrated their victory.

Ariel then walked up and Ash recomposed himself.

"Ash, it is with great honor that I present you with the Tornado Badge," She said, handing him a gray piece of metal shaped like an actual tornado with a bird flying out of it.

Ash held it up in the air for all to see and then yelled, "I just won…a Tornado Badge!"

"Pi-pikachu!" Pikachu said, jumping into the air with joy.

* * *

><p>Later, after they all got back to the center, Gavin stood alone with Pichu on the balcony, staring out into the city.<p>

"Gavin?" He suddenly heard Dawn say behind him. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "It's getting late. Shouldn't you come inside?"

"In a minute," Gavin said, continuing to look around at the city. "You go on ahead."

"Okay," Dawn said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Good night."

She then walked back inside with Piplup and shut the door silently.

Gavin went back to his watch, until he and Pichu heard a voice say, "I know why you are here, my friend."

Gavin and Pichu quickly turned and saw Jeremiah standing there with Mimi on his shoulder. He did not have his usual smile on his face. He looked way more serious.

"Wha-what do you mean?" Gavin asked with a bead of sweat going down his forehead.

"Just that," Jeremiah answered. "_I know why you are here_."

Then, as quick as a flash, the man disappeared into the shadows. Gavin and Pichu looked uneasily at each other and then both nodded.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 27: "Battle In the Night! Morning, Come Quick!"<span>_- Since the contest isn't for two more days, Ash and friends are spending the day out in the city in separate groups. But what happens when Ash and May run into Drew, and Drew challenges Ash to a nighttime battle for May? Will Ash be able to pull off the win? Find out next time on Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**What'll happen next? You'll have to wait and see! Read and Review!  
><strong>

**Announcement: In a couple of chapters, after the contest, Ash and friends will be reaching a place that's holding a battle tournament. Because I've gotten a few people that have asked to have OCs from them into my story, I am allowing anyone who wants to submit an OC to be in it to do so. Here's the info that I will need: **

**Name, Gender, Age, Clothes, Attitude and Character, Team (Pokemon, gender, nickname if any, and attacks; abilities if the Pokemon has two alternate abilities and you want to specifically have.). **

**I cannot guarantee that everyone's will make it, as there are only going to be 32 spots, Four of which have already been filled by Ash, Gavin, and two OCs already submitted. So, only 28 left. After they are all taken, I will announce it on my profile. If any trouble occurs and I am not getting all of the OCs I need, I will announce it and change the number. I also cannot guarantee that you will all get to ba****ttle Ash ****and Gavin. And possibly, not every battle will be shown fully. You may only get mentioned slightly, but you will get to speak at least once or twice. Battle winners will ****be decided randomly, except for Ash, Gavin, and one of the OCs created by a close friend of mine. Please do not get mad at me if you are defeated in battle. I will still try to make the battles as epic as possible. ****So, go ahead and create those trainers, readers!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Here's the new Chapter! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 27: "Battle In the Night! Morning, Come Quick!"_

"Riolu, use Aura Sphere!"

Ash stood in front of his Riolu as the little, blue, bipedal, dog-like Pokémon charged up a blue orb of energy in between its hands. It then launched it towards a target that Ash had set up for target practice. The sphere hit its mark, making a bull's-eye.

"Great job, Riolu!" Ash said ecstatically.

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu agreed, nodding.

Riolu kneel in front of Ash and said telepathically, "_Thank you, Master_."

Ash sighed and said, "Riolu, I've told you this before. You don't have to call me Master."

"_Okay, Master_," Riolu replied.

Ash let out another sigh. He then heard a high-pitched giggle behind him. He turned around to see a beautiful, bandana-adorned brunette laughing at him.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing," May said, stifling a giggle. "So, are we going to do anything today besides training?"

"That depends," Ash said with a sly grin. "What do _you_ want to do?"

"How about we go…" May said, holding her hand to her chin.

* * *

><p>"SHOPPING!" May and Dawn both squealed.<p>

Ash and Gavin groaned as they followed the two girls into the Denote City Mall. Standing next to them were the also disgruntled Pikachu and Pichu who were also not happy about having to go shopping.

"Why do we always fall for these this?" Ash asked.

"I don't know, Ash," Gavin said with a sigh. "I don't know."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a certain green-haired boy was watching the four of them from a table in the mall's food court. Sitting at the table with him was a spiky-haired redheaded girl, a brown-haired boy, and a purple-haired girl with a pink bow in her hair. Standing next to his chair was a little green creature with roses for hands.<p>

The redheaded girl looked at him and asked, "Whatcha looking at, Drew?"

Drew turned, looked at her with a fake smile, and replied, "Nothing, Zoey."

With that, Zoey stopped probing. He looked over at Kenny, who gave him a nod. Drew then turned and looked at a certain raven-haired trainer.

'_Alright, Ash Ketchum_,' He thought to himself, '_Tonight, I get my revenge on you and I'll get my May back._'

* * *

><p>After three hours of nonstop shopping, Ash and Gavin had been weighed down with bags full of clothes, jewelry, and other items. Even Pichu, Pikachu, and Piplup had been forced to carry a bag each.<p>

"Okay, guys," May suddenly spoke. "Let's head back to the Center."

In their minds, the boys and Pokémon both cheered and sighed. They were happy that there weren't going to be anymore bags to carry, but now, they were going to have to carry those bags all of the way back to the Pokémon Center.

'_Why us? Why?_' was the only thought that crossed their minds as they began the trek back to the Center.

* * *

><p>While the two trainers struggled under of the weight of the girls' bags, the others were relaxing back at the Pokémon Center.<p>

Max and Iris were busy training with Grovyle, Kirlia, Excadrill, and Emolga, Misty was swimming with her Pokémon in the Center's pool, Brock was working on a new Pokémon food recipe with Cilan, Tracey was sketching a sketch his new Smeargle while Smeargle was painting a picture of Tracey, Meowth was polishing his charm, and Gary was typing something up on his laptop.

Suddenly though, they saw two girls walk up to them.

"Hey, guys!" One of them said with a wave.

"Oh, hey, Zoey!" Brock said, waving back.

"Kelly, it's good to see you!" Misty yelled as she got out of the pool.

After some introductions between the two coordinators and the two Unova natives, something popped up in Max's mind.

"Hey, Zoey, Kelly," He said with a curious look on his face. "Where are Drew and Kenny?"

"They told us that they had to go and do something really fast," Kelly explained.

"But it's getting late, so hopefully they'll be back soon," Zoey added. And with that, the two girls went inside, leaving the group a bit worried.

"I've got a bad feelin' bout this," Meowth said as he looked at the setting sun.

* * *

><p>Back with the two coordinators and their currently struggling boyfriends and their Pokémon, they all had started to notice that the sun was going down and that it was getting really dark.<p>

"I hope we get back to the Pokémon Center soon," May said as she inched closer and closer to Ash. "It's getting kind of creepy out here."

"Well, it could be worse," Gavin said thoughtfully.

"How could it be any worse?" Dawn asked him with an annoyed look on her face.

Suddenly, a shining blue mist began creeping around them. It turned into a shining blue fog. All of the sudden, they all felt really sleepy.

"Like that," Ash said with a yawn before they all blacked out.

* * *

><p>Misty and Iris looked worried as they looked out through the glass of the Pokémon Center's doors, waiting for their four friends and their Pokémon to get back. The others stood not too far away.<p>

"Don't worry, Misty," Tracey said, trying to comfort her.

"Yeah, Misty, they'll be back soon," Gary added.

"It'll be okay, Iris," Cilan said reassuringly.

"I hope so," Misty and Iris both said at the same time.

* * *

><p>Ash's eyes fluttered open to see nothing but darkness. From what he could tell, he had been out for hours. Then, he felt a light shine in his face.<p>

"Good, you're up," He heard a familiar voice say. Ash blinked a couple of times until his vision came into focus. There, standing before him, was a green-haired guy with a white, mammalian creature next to him, its scythe-like horn glowing brightly.

"Drew," Ash growled. "What did you do to May?"

"Nothing," Drew said with a flick of his hair. "It's what I'm going to do to you that you should be worried about."

He then snapped his fingers and Absol shined a light over to where five unconscious figures lay in the grass. Standing next to them was a brown-haired boy with a worried look on his face.

"Drew, I don't think that we should be doing this," The boy said timidly.

"We both want our girls back, right?" Drew said with a frown. "Just help me and you'll have Dawn back to yourself and you'll never have to worry about Ketchum's cousin again."

Kenny opened his mouth but then closed it. He looked over at an unconscious Gavin and Dawn, both lying next to each other.

Drew then turned and looked back at Ash, who was trembling with anger uncontrollably.

"Oh, by the way," Drew said, picking up a bag. "You can have this back. You might need it."

He threw the bag to Ash, who caught it and felt something in the bag shifting around, struggling to get out. He opened it up and found Pikachu, who looked happy to see him.

"Hey, buddy," Ash said with a smile. He and Pikachu then looked back at Drew angrily.

"So, Ketchum, why don't we settle this with a battle?" Drew said with a sneer. "A triple battle, perhaps? Winner gets May?"

"No way," Ash said flatly. "May's not a prize to be won over something as stupid as a battle. She's her own person and she should make her own choices."

"Unless you battle, May will never wake up again," Drew said with a sinister tone.

Ash growled, but knew that he had no choice. He just had to save his friends, especially May.

* * *

><p>In a matter of minutes, Ash and Drew stood on opposite sides of a field. Kenny, still as nervous as ever, was acting as referee.<p>

"Trainers, bring out your Pokémon!" Kenny decreed.

"Roserade, Flygon, Absol! Go!" Drew yelled as he threw three Pokéballs into the air. In three flashes of light, the Bouquet Pokémon, the Mystic Pokémon, and the Disaster Pokémon appeared in front of him.

"Pika!" Pikachu growled angrily, volunteering itself to fight.

"Charizard, I choose you!" Ash shouted as he threw a Pokéball into the air. In a blaze of blue, the fiery orange dragon appeared in the air, landing with a thud. The Flame Pokémon shared in Ash's anger, its tail flame growing brighter and smoke coming out its nostrils.

Ash pondered about who he should use as his third Pokémon. Pikachu and Charizard could handle Roserade and Flygon, but he needed someone to take on Absol. Suddenly, he had an idea.

"Riolu, I choose you!" He said as he tossed a Pokéball to the field. In a flash of blue light, the blue Emanation Pokémon appeared next to Pikachu and Charizard. It looked like it was ready to fight.

"Begin!" Kenny declared.

"Roserade, use Petal Dance, Flygon, use DragonBreath, and Absol, use Razor Wind!" Drew instructed.

Roserade span around quickly and released pink petals from the flowers on its body at Pikachu. Flygon opened its mouth and released a light blue beam of air at Charizard. The scythe on Absol's head glowed white and then it swung its head, sending a white crescent blade of energy at Riolu.

"Dodge it!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu, Charizard, and Riolu swiftly jumped out of the way. After the attacks exploded on the ground, the three moved back to their previous positions.

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball, Charizard, use Dragon Rage, and Riolu, use Aura Sphere!" Ash commanded.

"Pika-pika-pika-pika-pika-chupi!" Pikachu yelled as its body became surrounded by yellow electricity, an orange-yellow orb of electricity appeared on its tail; it did a flip, and launched it towards Roserade.

Charizard's eyes glowed white and its tail flame grew larger. A ball of fire then formed in its mouth and it released a fiery inferno at Flygon.

Riolu formed a ball of blue aura in between its paws and then launched it at Absol.

"Water Pulse, Absol," Drew said with a smirk.

Absol's body became outlined by a blue glow and then it released a large wave towards the attacks, causing them to all sizzle out.

"I have to give you credit, Ketchum," Drew said with a mocking grin. "A Riolu with Aura Sphere. That's pretty rare."

"I'm full of surprises," Ash said with a sly smile. "Like Blast Burn!"

Charizard's eyes went red and it let out a mighty roar. A red aura surrounded its body and its tail flame grew to its biggest and brightest. It then opened its mouth and released a cyclone of intense flame at all three of Drew's Pokémon.

Drew looked shocked as the attack came towards them. Then, a sneer appeared on his face and he yelled, "Protect!"

All three of the Pokémon created a combined shield around them, protecting them from the power and strength of Charizard's ultimate attack. The attack just exploded and turned into black smoke.

Ash growled in anger. The coordinator was good, not that he'd admit it out loud. And now, Ash could see from the red sparks sparkling about its body that it wouldn't be able to move for a little while.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail and Riolu, use Drain Punch!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu's tail glowed metallically and Riolu's fist was surrounded by a swirling green energy as the two of them ran towards their opponents.

"Roserade, use Fury Cutter and Absol, use Night Slash!" Drew directed.

Green energy blades came out of Roserade's roses and it used them to block Pikachu's Iron Tail. Absol's horn glowed red and extended as it swung it to counter Riolu's punch. The four attacks created sparks as they clashed, until they all broke apart.

"Flygon, Sandstorm!" Drew suddenly shouted.

Flygon rapidly flapped its wings and then, it created a tornado of sand which it sent throughout the park.

Ash was just about blinded by the swirling and painful bits of erosion. Pikachu, Charizard, and Riolu were all being affected greatly as well.

"Roserade, use Weather Ball! Absol, use Water Pulse!" Drew directed.

Roserade held its arms up and then shot a ball of swirling sand into the storm. Absol released a wave of water towards the storm, creating a wave of mud.

Unfortunately for Pikachu, Charizard, and Riolu, who were unable to see the attack, were hit by both of the attacks. They all struggled to get up.

'_I've gotta figure out something,_' Ash thought, '_But what?_'

* * *

><p>May slowly opened her eyes to see a storm of sand in front of her. She saw Dawn, Gavin, Pichu, and Piplup slowly trying to get up alongside her.<p>

"What's going on?" Dawn asked, holding onto Gavin for support as the sand collided against them. At that point, Kenny walked up to them.

"This is all my fault," He said with a sorry look on his face. "I shouldn't have gone with this, but he convinced me to."

"What do you mean, Kenny?" Dawn asked.

Gavin then looked over at the tornado of sand and slipped his sunglasses over his eyes. Unknown to the others, electronic images appeared on the lenses, like it was a computer. The computer changed to infrared vision, allowing him to be able to see what was going on.

"It's Ash and Drew," Gavin said as he saw the battle going on. "They're having a triple battle."

"Drew wants to 'get you back,'" Kenny explained to May.

"What!" May exclaimed.

* * *

><p>"<em>Master!<em>" Ash suddenly heard a voice in his head say.

'_Riolu?_' Ash asked with his thoughts.

"_Yes, Master. My aura allows me to see through the storm. Allow me to take out Green Hair's pawns._" (Riolu)

'_No, Riolu. You need to realize, you don't need to call me Master. You're more to me than just my Pok__é__mon. You're my friend. I don't want you three to get hurt anymore._' (Ash)

"_Friend? We are friends, Master?_" (Riolu)

'_Yes, Riolu, friends!_' (Ash)

"_Then I will protect my friends with all of my power!"_ (Riolu)

Then, out of nowhere, Ash could see the slight glimmer of the sun rising in distance.

(Cue Pokémon 1st Season Anime Intense Action Music Sequence)

A bright white light began shining throughout the sandstorm.

"Huh?" Ash said, confused.

"What's happening!" Drew yelled.

The sandstorm immediately cleared away, revealing the glowing body of Riolu. All of the other Pokémon and human's eyes went wide at the sight of it.

Riolu's form began to shift. It began to grow taller and change shape. As the light faded away, everyone could see how it had changed. It looked like a bipedal, jackal-like creature about four feet tall. Its forepaws were black with one white spike on each arm and one white spike coming from its chest. It had a long snout and ears, black appendages on its head, a furry yellow torso, and what appeared to be blue shorts on its thighs. It stood on its toes at all times.

"Huh!" It said with a mixture between a grunt and a growl.

"Riolu evolved into Lucario!" May said in surprise.

"May!" Ash exclaimed happily. He then took out his Pokédex and scanned his new Pokémon.

'_Lucario, the Aura Pokémon, and the evolved form of Riolu. By sensing the aura of its opponents, Lucario can read their thoughts and movements. New moves learned: Metal Claw and Bone Rush._'

"Wow!" Ash said with a grin on his face. Then, he looked at his Pokémon. "You guys ready to win this?"

Pikachu did a fist-pump and grinned. Charizard gave him a thumbs-up. Lucario nodded and smiled.

"_We are ready, Master,_" Lucario said in a deep, telepathic voice.

"Alright then," Ash said, now determined as the sun shone upon his cap. "Lucario, use Metal Claw and Pikachu, use Iron Tail on Roserade!"

"What!" Drew said in a shocked tone.

The spikes on Lucario's wrists glowed white and turned into three claws. It then ran towards Roserade with Pikachu next to it, its tail giving off a metallic glow. They both brought their attacks down on Roserade. It was knocked down to the ground.

"Now, Lucario, use Bone Rush, and Charizard, use Steel Wing on Flygon!" Ash commanded.

Lucario put its paws together and then spread them apart, and created a light green bone of energy. He then ran alongside the airborne Charizard whose wings were glowing as they both came at the green dragon and struck it down.

Absol looked a bit freaked out at the sight of its downed teammates.

"Finish it up with a Thunderbolt-Flamethrower-Aura Sphere Combo!" Ash ordered.

"No!" Drew yelled exasperatedly.

"Chuuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu cried as it released a blast of yellow electricity at its opponents.

Charizard roared as it blasted a stream of fire next to the electricity.

"_The Aura is with me!"_ Lucario yelled telepathically as it launched a ball of blue aura that mixed in with the other attacks, creating a swirling ball of power. It crashed into Absol and caused an explosion that also affected Roserade and Flygon. When the smoke cleared, all three were seen to be knocked unconscious.

"All three of Drew's Pokémon are unable to battle!" Kenny happily announced. "Ash and his Pokémon are the winners!"

* * *

><p>Drew immediately returned his Pokémon to their Pokéballs and stormed off.<p>

"Drew!" May called out, only to be ignored. She felt an arm go around her back, turning to see that it was Ash.

"It's okay," Ash said with a reassuring grin. "He'll come around."

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu said with a nod.

"Dawn, I'm sorry that all of this happened," Kenny said apologetically.

"Don't worry, Kenny, I forgive you," Dawn said with a smile. She then gave her childhood friend a hug.

"Well, I guess everything worked out," Gavin said with a grin. "I guess that we can go back to the Center now."

"Oh, wait! We forgot our shopping bags when we were hit by that Sleeping Powder!" May said sadly.

"Well, that's too bad," Ash said, secretly grinning at Gavin, Pikachu, Pichu, and Piplup.

"Oh, we put them over there under that tree," Kenny said, pointing over to the tree where the bags sat.

"Yay!" The two girls squealed.

Kenny looked uneasy as the two guys and the Pokémon glared daggers at him.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 28: "Denote Contest! Glaceon &amp; Buneary, An Uneasy Team!"<span>_- It's time for the Denote City Contest, and May & Dawn are attempting to win their 2nd ribbon! However, what'll happen when they're up against the teams of Drew & Zoey and Kenny & Kelly, and Glaceon and Buneary have started an argument over Pikachu's affection! What are two coordinators and a Pikachu to do? Will they be able to win the 2nd Ribbon? Find out next time on Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**And the struggle of carrying the bags begins again! I hope you liked it! Read & Review! I still ****need 18 more OCs for the battle tournament! If you want a spot, put it in the review or in a private message. **


	28. Chapter 28

**Here's the new chapter! Sorry it took so long! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 28: "Denote Contest! Glaceon & Buneary, An Uneasy Team!"_

"You're back!" Everyone exclaimed.

Ash, Gavin, May, and Dawn looked surprised as their friends tackled them into a hug. Kenny, who had been standing behind them, just shrugged and went inside.

"Uh, guys?" May said as they were practically being squeezed to death.

"It's kind of hard to breath," Gavin finished.

With that, the group broke off the hug. Then, Misty yelled, "What happened?"

"And where'd ya get da Lucario?" Meowth asked, pointing to the blue Pokémon that stood next to Pikachu, Pichu, Piplup, and Charizard, all carrying bags.

Ash and the others then took the time to explain what had happened last night, including the events that led to Riolu's evolution.

"I can't believe Drew would do that," Brock said in awe.

"When I get my hands on him...," Max said angrily.

"No, Max," May said, causing him to get confused, "If anybody's going to make him pay, it's gonna be me and Dawn in tomorrow's contest."

"Speaking of which, who are you going to use?" Misty asked.

"We're using Blaziken and Mamoswine for the appeal round," Dawn answered, "Then, we'll use Glaceon and Buneary for the battle round."

"Isn't Buneary back in Sinnoh with your mom?" Gavin asked.

"Yeah, so come on, let's go get her!" Dawn said, grabbing her boyfriend's arm and dragging him into the Center.

* * *

><p>Pikachu looked uneasy as he waited with the others for Dawn and Gavin to get back.<p>

"What's wrong, Pikachu?" He suddenly heard a voice ask behind him.

He turned around to see Glaceon standing there with a confused look on her face.

"Oh, hey, Glaceon," Pikachu said, feeling slightly less nervous. "Uh, nothing, really."

Just then, several of the other Pokémon walked over, including Piplup, Pichu, Meowth, Croagunk, and Azurill.

"So, Pikachu, you ready to see your _girlfriend_?" Piplup asked with a chuckle.

"I told you, she's not my girlfriend!" Pikachu said with an irritated expression on his face. At that, the two began to get into a scramble.

"Huh?" Glaceon said, now even more confused.

"What's going on now?" Azurill inquired. The two females and Pichu looked over at Croagunk and Meowth.

"Buneary has a _little_ crush on Pikachu," Meowth explained. "But the feelings are one-sided."

"What do you mean by _little_?" Pichu asked.

"You'll see," Croagunk croaked.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Dawn had just typed in her home phone number and was waiting while she and Gavin heard a ringing in the background.<p>

Finally, a face appeared on the screen. It was a woman with the same hair color and eye color as Dawn, but with a larger hairstyle. In a way though, she sort of looked like an older version of Dawn. Next to her on the screen was a gray cat-like creature with a curled, spring-like tail with a white fluff at the tip of it and a small, brown, bunny-like creature with tan fleece on its lower body and at the top of its ears. The bunny was also wearing an orange vest with a pink heart on it and a white collar.

"Bun-bun!" Buneary said happily.

"Hey, there, Buneary," Dawn said with a smile. "Hi, Mom! Hi, Glameow!"

"Hi, there, sweetie," Johanna said as Glameow purred in greeting. "How are you doing?"

"Great!" Dawn said with a grin. "May and I are about to try and earn our second Contest ribbon!"

"That's wonderful!" The mom said with a large smile. She then noticed the boy standing next to Dawn. "So who's this?"

"This is Gavin," Dawn explained. "Remember, I told you that he was Ash's cousin and that he was traveling with us through Amaro."

"Oh," Johanna said with a sly grin. "Is he your _boyfriend_?"

Both Dawn and Gavin's faces went completely red at this comment. They gave each other uneasy looks as they struggled to answer the question.

"Uh, well…you see…," Gavin stuttered, causing an amused look to appear on Johanna's face. She then began to laugh.

"It's quite alright, Gavin," She said as she calmed down. "Dawn's told me all about you. Including when you pushed her out of the way of a blast of Stun Spore. Any boy that would do that for my daughter is okay in my book. I approve."

"Uh, thank you, Miss Johanna," Gavin said politely and sheepishly.

"And from what I've heard, she thinks that…,"Johanna began.

"So, Mom, I was wondering if you could send me Buneary for this contest," Dawn said, furiously blushing red, trying to change the subject.

"That's fine with me, but could you send me Ambipom in return?" Johanna asked. "She would be a great help around the house."

"Sure," Dawn obliged. They then set up the PokéTransfer system, and within a few seconds, the transfer was complete.

"Thanks, Mom!" Dawn said happily.

"Anytime, dear," Johanna said with a smile. "Good luck with your Contest!"

With that, the conversation ended. Gavin then turned to Dawn with a raised eyebrow, and asked, "So what exactly did you tell her about me?"

"Nothing much," Dawn said with a tinge of pink on her face.

* * *

><p>Back with the others, Meowth and Croagunk had just managed to pull Pikachu off of Piplup and calm him down. Piplup continued to snicker at the Electric Mouse Pokémon.<p>

"Pika-kins!" They all suddenly heard a voice say.

Pikachu slowly turned around, scared at the sight of the Rabbit Pokémon. Everyone else but Pichu, Glaceon, and Azurill gave a slight chuckle, which caused Pikachu to glare at them.

Then, out of nowhere, Buneary bounced at Pikachu and the two landed in a hug. Even from a distance, one could tell that only Buneary was enjoying this. However, no one noticed the sad look on Glaceon's face right now. She then turned around and ran away with tears in her eyes.

"Glaceon, wait!" Pikachu yelled after her.

"Oh, it's so good to see you, Pika-kins! Now, we can spend more time together! And then, we shall pronounce our love to the world!" Buneary said in a lovey-dovey sort of way as she snuggled up against Pikachu.

'_Somebody save me, please,_' Pikachu frantically thought as he looked around for a means of escape.

Suddenly, though, something came and knocked Buneary off of Pikachu. When he looked up, he saw Glaceon standing there, looking very angry. However, the worst was yet to come.

"Hey, what are you doing with _my_ Pikachu?" Buneary said, face-to-face with the Fresh Snow Pokémon.

"He's not _your_ Pikachu!" Glaceon yelled back. It looked like the two were about to get into a fight, but luckily, May and Dawn came in at the right time.

"What's wrong with these two?" May asked as she held a furious Glaceon.

"I don't know," Dawn replied, equally confused as she held an enraged Buneary.

They both looked down at Pikachu, who laughed nervously with his hand on the back of his head.

* * *

><p>"Welcome, everybody to the Denote City Pokémon Contest!" Jillian said to the crowd.<p>

Everyone cheered, especially Ash and the others. After a long day of training the previous day, May and Dawn were now about to partake in their third Amaro Pokémon Contest to try to earn their second ribbon.

"Alright, as you know, each of our teams will have their Pokémon show off their amazing appeals in the performance round, then, a select few will move on to the battle round. So, let's get started with our first team, May and Dawn!"

At that, the two coordinators ran out onto the stage, both wearing their usual contest wear.

"Blaziken, take the stage!" May said as she threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a blast of red fire, the Blaze Pokémon appeared onto the stage.

"Mamoswine, spotlight!" Dawn yelled as she tossed a Pokéball to the stage.

In a flash of electricity, the Twin Tusk Pokémon landed with a thud onto the stage.

"Mamoswine, use Ice Shard!" (Dawn)

A glowing light blue ball of ice appeared in front of Mamoswine's mouth. It then launched it into the air.

"Blaziken, use Fire Spin!" (May)

Blaziken opened its mouth and fired a cyclone of fire at the Ice Shard. The flames began circling the ball of ice.

"Mamoswine, use Hidden Power!" (Dawn)

Mamoswine's tusks glowed yellow and its body was surrounded by light blue circles. The circles were then launched at the combination, causing a display of red and light blue fireworks. The crowd applauded at the sight of this appeal.

"Blaziken, jump into the air!" (May)

With its amazing jumping ability, Blaziken launched itself into the air.

"Now, Ice Shard Barrage!" (Dawn)

Mamoswine started rapidly shooting Ice Shard attacks into the air.

"Blaziken, finish it with Blaze Kick!" (May)

Blaziken's wrists lit up into flames. Its feet then lit up into flames and it began sending multiple flaming kicks at the ice balls, causing them to fly in different directions and explode into red and blue explosions of light. The sparkles floated down throughout the arena as the crowd cheered loudly.

May and Dawn both then did a sort of curtsy to the crowd as their two Pokémon stood beside them, showing off their power. The crowd continued to explode in cheers.

* * *

><p>"Great job, May!" Ash called out.<p>

"You were stunning, Dawn!" Gavin shouted.

The others sweat dropped at the two, who were both standing up.

"Wow! That was awesome!" Max said in awe.

Pikachu nodded in agreement. Then, however, he saw that Glaceon and Buneary were on either side of him, growling angrily at each other.

He sighed and said, "This is gonna be a loooooong day."

* * *

><p>After May and Dawn left the stage, Jillian got ready to announce the next team that would be performing their appeal.<p>

"And here's our next team, Kenny and Kelly!"

The crowd cheered as the brown-haired boy and purple-haired girl ran out onto the stage.

"Now, Empoleon, let's go!" Kenny shouted as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of blue bubbles, the Emperor Pokémon appeared onto the stage.

"Rhydon, dazzle 'em!" Kelly yelled as she tossed a Pokéball to the stage.

Surrounded by stars, a large, gray, bipedal rhino-like creature with a drill-like horn on its snout landed on the stage next to Empoleon.

"Empoleon, use BubbleBeam!" (Kenny)

Empoleon opened its mouth and launched a barrage of blue bubbles into the air.

"Rhydon, use Thunder!" (Kelly)

Rhydon released a massive amount of yellow lightning that spread out and popped all of the bubbles, creating blue sparkles of light. Then, the electricity suddenly zoomed back to Rhydon.

"Rhydon, use Horn Drill!" (Kelly)

Rhydon's horn began to spin rapidly like a drill. The electricity then entered the horn a turned it into a spinning lightning horn.

"Empoleon, use Whirlpool!" (Kenny)

Empoleon then created a blue whirlpool above its head and threw it to the field.

"Rhydon, finish it with Drill Run!" (Kelly)

Rhydon then began to charge towards the whirlpool, its horn spinning faster and the electricity causing it turn into a golden drill. It then charged into the whirlpool, and the two different spinning directions of the drill and the whirlpool, plus the electricity, caused the whirlpool to explode into an explosion of yellow and blue sparkles. The crowd erupted into applause.

* * *

><p>"How did Rhydon do that with the electricity?" Iris asked.<p>

"That's Rhydon's ability, LightningRod," Cilan explained. "It causes all electrical attacks to be drawn to it."

"They've been training hard," Ash commented.

* * *

><p>"Next, we have a team that has been doing really well in the Amaro Contests, Drew and Zoey!" Jillian announced to the crowd. Most of the crowd cheered, except for the group, who were really only cheering for Zoey. Ash just clapped for Zoey and glowered at Drew.<p>

"Absol, go!" Drew said as he threw a ball into the air.

In a puff of white smoke, the Disaster Pokémon appeared into the air, did a flip, and then landed on the stage.

"Gallade, curtain, let's go!" Zoey yelled as she tossed a Pokéball to the stage.

In a flash of floral lights, the Blade Pokémon gracefully landed next to Absol.

"Absol, use Water Pulse!" (Drew)

"Gallade, use Vacuum Wave!" (Zoey)

Gallade jumped into the air, flipping upside and sent out the cyclone of air while Absol was surrounded by a tornado of water. The two cyclones collided and held against each other.

"Absol, jump and use Flash!" (Drew)

Absol jumped into the air towards the middle of the two tornadoes and its horn lit up in a bright light, causing the water and air to both shimmer brightly.

"Gallade, use Protect!" (Zoey)

Gallade fell down to where Absol was and then surrounded the two of them with a green sphere of energy. The sphere pushed apart the two cyclones and sparkled due to the different reflections of light.

"Now both of you, use Psycho Cut!" They both yelled.

Absol's horn and Gallade's scythes all glowed a light blue color and then they both cut through the sphere and cyclones, causing a display of glittering light. The crowd cheered tremendously.

* * *

><p>"Wow, the two of them have gotten even better than the last time I saw each of them perform," Brock thought out loud.<p>

"This is gonna be a tough competition for May and Dawn," Misty said with a hint of worry.

"Beat him, May, beat him," Ash muttered repeatedly under his breath.

* * *

><p>Later, after all of the other appeals, the teams that made it to the next round were announced. May and Dawn made it, but so did Kenny &amp; Kelly and Drew &amp; Zoey. As well, May and Dawn were put up against Kenny and Kelly in the first battle of the battle round.<p>

"To my left, May and Dawn! To my right, it's Kenny and Kelly!" Jillian said through the mike. "Five minutes on the clock! And begin!"

"Glaceon, take the stage!" May said as she threw her Pokéball into the air.

"Buneary, spotlight!" Dawn cried out as she repeated May's actions.

The two appeared in amidst an explosion of red confetti. The two smiled at the crowd for a second, but then saw one another, they scowled at each other.

"Bun-bun-buneary!" Buneary said quietly. ("Just give it up now, princess. Pikachu is mine.")

"Gla-gla-glace!" Glaceon retaliated. ("In your dreams, cheerleader.")

* * *

><p>"Pika-chuu," Pikachu said with a sigh and a sweat drop. ("Why is it always me?")<p>

* * *

><p>"Breloom, let's go!" Kenny yelled as he threw a Pokéball into the air.<p>

"Rapidash, dazzle 'em!" Kelly shouted as she tossed her Pokéball alongside Kenny's.

In a display of musical notes, the two Pokémon appeared. One was a familiar, mushroom-kangaroo mix of a creature; the other was a large, fiery horse-like creature with a large and sharp horn coming from its forehead and flames that substituted for its mane and tail.

* * *

><p>"A Rapidash?" Ash said as he took out his Pokédex.<p>

"_Rapidash, the Fire Horse Pok__é__mon. The evolved form of Ponyta. Very competitive, this Pokémon will chase anything that moves fast in the hopes of racing it. It gallops at nearly 150 MPH._"

"That's gonna be tough for May and Dawn to beat," Gary said as he stared at the field.

Everyone else nodded in agreement. Pikachu only stared at Glaceon and Buneary, hoping that they wouldn't lose the Contest because of him.

* * *

><p>"Glaceon, use Ice Shard!" May commanded.<p>

A light blue ball of ice appeared in front of Glaceon's mouth, and then it launched it at Breloom.

"Breloom, use Mach Punch and hit it back!" Kenny instructed.

Breloom's fist glowed light blue as it launched a punch at the shard that was so fast that it managed to hit it back towards Buneary without breaking it.

"Buneary, use Bounce and then use Dizzy Punch!" Dawn ordered.

Buneary bounced into the air easily. Its ears began to glow multicolored, but instead of hitting the attack back towards the opposing team, it punched it at Glaceon.

Everyone was shocked as the attack flew towards Glaceon. Luckily, Glaceon was able to dodge gracefully, causing Buneary to silently growl.

"Buneary! Why'd you do that?" Dawn asked in a shocked and angry expression.

Buneary just shrugged and gave her a cute, wide-eyed expression.

"Rapidash, use Flamethrower!" Kelly directed.

Rapidash opened its mouth and shot a stream of flames towards Glaceon.

"Breloom, use Bullet Seed!" Kenny yelled.

Breloom shot a rapid-fire blast of multiple glowing green seeds. The seeds circled around the flames, creating a dazzling attack.

"Glaceon, use Mirror Coat!" May shouted.

Glaceon's body became surrounded by a reflective substance that blocked the attacks, and made her body glow in beautiful red and green colors.

* * *

><p>"Whoa," The group in the audience said in awe of Glaceon's glowing body.<p>

"Pika-chu," Pikachu, who was the most awe-stricken, said with wide eyes. ("Beautiful.")

* * *

><p>As Glaceon's body glowed, the combo attack was headed straight for Breloom and Rapidash.<p>

"Breloom, look out!" Kenny yelled.

"You too, Rapidash!" Kelly shouted.

Breloom and Rapidash managed to dodge the initial attack, but the explosion that it caused hit both of them and knocked them to the ground.

"Buneary, use Ice Beam!" Dawn commanded.

"Rapidash, use Flare Blitz!" Kelly ordered.

Buneary blasted a light blue beam of ice towards Breloom, but Rapidash ran right in front of Breloom, its body surrounded by intense flames that stopped the Ice Beam easily. It then began running towards Buneary.

"Buneary, use Bounce to dodge it!" Dawn instructed.

Buneary gave a mighty leap into the air, but Kelly just smirked.

"Rapidash, use Bounce as well!" She directed.

Rapidash jumped into the air with its strong legs, now looking like a comet as it headed for a now-helpless Buneary.

"Breloom, use Sky Uppercut!" Kenny yelled.

Breloom ran right towards Buneary with a glowing blue fist. Now, Buneary was going to be hit by two attacks.

As Buneary prepared for its impending doom, something unexpected happened. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Glaceon had jumped right in front of it in the air.

"Use Secret Power!" May shouted.

Glaceon's body, which was still giving off a red-and-green aura, emanated a pink light that mixed together with the red and green, creating a sparkling orange light that sent the two opponents flying down towards the field. After they hit the ground, they tried to get up, but then, a buzzer went off.

"Time!" Jillian announced. "And the winners are…May and Dawn!"

* * *

><p>May and Dawn high-fived each other in happiness amidst the cheering of the crowd. Buneary, however, looked at Glaceon with a confused expression.<p>

"Why'd you save me after all that I did?" She asked. "You could've just let those attacks hit me and had Pikachu all to yourself."

"True, but it wouldn't have been right," Glaceon said with a slight smile. "Look, we both like Pikachu, but if we're gonna fight over him, let's do it outside of the Contest Hall, okay? Can we work together long enough to beat our trainers' rivals?"

Buneary thought about it for a second, grinned, and then held out her hand. The two shook on it.

* * *

><p>"It's now time for the final battle of the contest!" Jillian said to the crowd, who cheered ecstatically in response. "To my left, it's May and Dawn! To my right, it's Drew and Zoey!"<p>

The two teams stood on either side of the field. May and Dawn both glared angrily at Drew, who looked a little frightened at the glares that he was getting.

"What's wrong, Drew?" Zoey asked.

"Nothing," Drew said, his voice cracking slightly, causing Zoey to raise an eyebrow confusedly. She then just shrugged and focused on her opponents.

"Five minutes on the clock! And begin!" Jillian said through the microphone.

"Glaceon, take the stage!" (May)

"Buneary, spotlight!" (Dawn)

The two Pokémon appeared in another display of red confetti. This time, however, the two grinned at each other, ready for battle.

"Roserade, go!" (Drew)

"Glameow, curtain! Let's go!" (Zoey)

The Bouquet Pokémon and the Catty Pokémon appeared onto the stage in a display of horizontal lines that shot away from them.

"Glaceon, use Shadow Ball!" May commanded.

"Buneary, use Bounce on the Shadow Ball!" Dawn ordered.

A shadowy orb appeared in front of Glaceon's mouth and she then launched it. Then, Buneary jumped and gave a mighty push on the orb, causing it to speed towards their opponents.

"Glameow, use Shadow Claw!" Zoey instructed.

Glameow's paw was surrounded by a shadowy claw-like aura. It then pounced towards Glaceon's attack and sliced it in two, creating an explosion.

"Roserade, use Solarbeam!" Drew directed.

Roserade began charging up an orb of yellow light on its rose-hands.

"Glaceon, use Hail!" May shouted.

Glaceon's body became outlined by a light blue light. Then, a mist covered the field and small bits of ice began falling from the ceiling. Roserade's Solarbeam charge began to falter.

"Now, use Iron Tail!" May yelled.

Glaceon then ran at an unbelievable speed at Roserade and struck it with her metallically glowing tail.

* * *

><p>"How did Glaceon move so fast?" Misty asked.<p>

"That's Glaceon's ability, Snow Cloak," Tracey explained. "It raises its evasion in a snowstorm, and since the hail can't hurt it, its speed compared to the others as well."

"Go, May!" Ash said with enthusiasm.

* * *

><p>"May, have Glaceon use Mirror Coat," Dawn whispered to May. "I've got an idea."<p>

"Alright then! Use Mirror Coat!" May commanded.

Glaceon's body became surrounded by a reflective glow.

"Buneary, use Entrainment!" Dawn ordered.

Buneary shot a small, white beam from its paws at Glaceon. The beam surrounded Glaceon's body for a second, but then, it shot back towards Buneary. Buneary's body took on a white glow for a second, and then it faded.

"Huh? Why'd she do that?" Zoey thought out loud. She then shook it off and yelled, "Glameow, use Thunderbolt!"

"Roserade, use Giga Drain!" Drew shouted.

A blast of yellow electricity and a beam of green light were both shot at Buneary. Dawn then smirked and said, "Dodge it, Buneary!"

Then, with amazing speed, Buneary jumped out of the way of both attacks. She then gracefully did a flip in the air and landed next to Glaceon.

* * *

><p>"How did Buneary do that?" Max asked.<p>

"Dawn had it use a move called Entrainment," Gavin explicated. "It's a move where the user gives the Pokémon that it uses it on the ability that it has. However, in this case, May had Glaceon use Mirror Coat to block the ability changing, which sent it back to Buneary and gave it Glaceon's Snow Cloak ability."

* * *

><p>May and Dawn grinned at each other. It was time to finish this.<p>

"Glaceon/Buneary!" May/Dawn yelled. "Use Ice Beam!"

A light blue ball formed in front of both Glaceon and Buneary's mouths. They then both fired light blue beams of light that not only froze the hail and cleared the air around them in a beautiful way, but also were able to freeze Glameow and Roserade partially from the waist down.

Just as this occurred, the buzzer on the clock rang.

"Time!" Jillian announced. "And the winning team is…May and Dawn!"

* * *

><p>The crowd burst into applause. May and Dawn happily high-fived each other with happiness, and even Glaceon and Buneary were getting along each other. Zoey could be seen congratulating the two winners, while Ash noticed Drew sulking. Ash smirked at this sight.<p>

Pikachu was feeling better now that the two female Pokémon weren't fighting anymore. Then, however, the girls walked up to him.

"So, Pikachu, who did you think looked the best out there Pikachu?" Buneary asked.

"Was it me or Buneary?" Glaceon asked.

Both of them looked at him with pleading eyes and cute expressions on their faces. This caused Pichu to laugh and say, "Yeah, Pikachu, tell us."

"Uh, well, I, uh…," Pikachu said uneasily. Then, his eyes widened, he pointed and said, "Look, it's a movie star!"

"Huh?" Glaceon and Buneary said as they turned and looked around. When they turned back to look at Pikachu, they saw him running out the door, dragging Pichu behind him.

"PIKACHU! GET BACK HERE!" They both screeched as they began the chase.

"HELP ME!" Pikachu could be heard yelling as he ran.

"WHY'D YOU DRAG ME INTO THIS?" Pichu shouted as he was dragged across the grass.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 29: "News of a Battle Tournament! Enter the Competition!"<span>_- Ash and the others have just reached Kafue Town when Team Rocket attacks out of nowhere! Luckily, a trainer comes in at the time and sends them packing, but it turns out that Gavin knows this trainer! Then, they learn about a battle tournament that is to start the next day, and Ash & Gavin decide to enter! Soon, though, they see exactly what kinds of trainers are entering this tournament! What's gonna happen? You'll have to wait and see!

**Hope you liked it! Again, took a little longer to do than I would have liked, blame writer's block and lack of free time! Read & Review!**

**Okay, as you know, the tournament should be starting in Chapter 30. I've got 21 participants ready (that's 19 ocs plus Ash and Gavin), but I still need 11 more! So, after one of reviewers brought it up, I noticed that I had had the anonymous reviews function disabled. So, in an effort to get the last of the ocs and allow long-past-due reviews to be put in, I have enabled anonymous reviews! Just give me some kind of a nickname so that I can thank you at the end of the tournament. **

**A couple more things: Thank you to ****all of my readers for helping me get over 20,000 hits to my story! It really means a lot since this is my first story. ****Thanks especially to my biggest supporters: Ischys, whose Author Spotlight got me more readers; Mr. Jango, my personal friend who inspired the creation of the character of Jeremiah; The Shiny Gengar, who has become one of my most frequent reviewers and has mentioned me before in his story, "Fiercer Than a Legendary," which is an amazing story by the way; Some of my other frequent reviewers-KJC7/17/90, Purrich, DizzyDiana, ****Darkmachines, A.M.P. 1008, Speedy-Fox-IV, Mach69, Swagnilla-Ice-1985, Darkiceflame, afeleon276, ****Lunick's Styler, raichukiller, TanktheAggron, Mafee, itssupereffective, and all my other fans and reviewers. Plus, a very special thanks to beastmode953, a new writer taught by great writers like Lucifer IX and Midnightmoon602, who for one, helped me get to over 100 reviews and ****has become one of my contributing reviewers. Read all of their stories! Thanks also to all of those that have submitted OCs for the upcoming tournament!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Okay! Finally finished the new chapter! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon!**

_Chapter 29: "News of a Battle Tournament! Enter the Competition!"_

"Get back here, Team Rocket!"

Ash and the others were currently running after an airborne, black hot-air balloon with a red letter "R" on the side. In the balloon basket were two people, a man with blue hair and a woman with red hair, both wearing white uniforms with R's on them, and a Pokémon with a skull for a head and a large bone in its hand.

Below the balloon was a net that held several Pokémon, which consisted of Pikachu, Pichu, Meowth, Piplup, Glaceon, and Croagunk.

The two people laughed and the woman yelled back, "No way, twerps! Your Pokémon are ours now!"

Ash took a Pokéball from his belt and threw it into the air, shouting, "Pidgeot, I choose you!"

In a flash of blue light, the Bird Pokémon appeared into the air and began to pursue the balloon.

"Oh, no you don't!" Jessie shrieked, taking a Pokéball to hand. "Swoobat, attack!"

Immediately, a fuzzy blue bat creature with a red, heart-shaped nose appeared in the air in front of Pidgeot.

"Use Heart Stamp!" Jessie ordered.

Swoobat's nose glowed red and it began to fly swiftly towards Pidgeot, its nose ready.

"Pidgeot! Dodge it and use Aerial Ace!" Ash commanded.

Pidgeot gracefully dodged Swoobat's nose-on charge and then, with white streaks surrounding its body, tackled the Courting Pokémon.

"Cofagrigus! Go and use Shadow Ball!" James said, throwing a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, the golden Coffin Pokémon appeared floating in mid-air. It then formed a shadowy orb between its four ghostly hands and launched it at Pidgeot.

"Beautifly, help us out with Silver Wind!" May said as she threw a ball into the air, causing the yellow Butterfly Pokémon to appear and take flight.

Beautifly then flapped its wings, sending a wind of silver crescents at its opponent's attack. The two attacks collided and created a small explosion.

"Weavile, take them both down with Dark Pulse!" Gavin yelled as his Pokéball released the Sharp Claw Pokémon onto the field in front of him.

Weavile then jumped into the air, held out its paws, and then launched a barrage of dark circles at Swoobat and Cofagrigus. The two took a direct hit, and it was super effective.

"Kirlia, use Teleport to bring the Pokémon back!" Max instructed as he sent out his Pokémon. The Emotion Pokémon then appeared, disappeared, reappeared, disappeared again, and reappeared again in a flash of multi-colored light. Now standing beside it were the previously captured Pokémon, all looking very angry.

"Alright, Pichu, let's…," Gavin began, before they all heard a voice yell, "Aipom, use Swift!"

Suddenly, a blast of multiple yellow stars came at Team Rocket's balloon and sent them flying.

"We're blasting off again!" They could be heard screaming before they disappeared in a glint of light.

"Hey, are you guys o…kay…Gavin?" They heard a voice say behind them.

They turned around and saw a boy with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing gray pants, a blue hoodie with sleeves that looked slightly a bit too long, a black shirt that had a decal on it that looked like a Pokéball over a crossbones symbol, and black tennis shoes. On his head, he wore a green wintertime beanie with a decal of a white circle with multiple lines going through it. On his shoulder was a purple monkey creature with a tail that looked like a hand and a goofy grin on its face.

Most of the group was confused, looking immediately at Gavin, who had tensed up. He didn't that very happy. It was the same with Pichu, who was at this point growling. He then said in a low tone, "Walker."

* * *

><p>After a few questions from the others, Gavin decided to make a few introductions.<p>

"Everyone, this is Walker," Gavin said, gesturing towards the boy. "We both started out from New Bark Town."

"The only difference was that I didn't need a starter Pokémon, because I already had an awesome Aipom," Walker said smugly, rubbing the Long Tail Pokémon's head. He then looked over at Pichu and said, "Unlike that little yellow mouse of yours."

Aipom giggled at this remark, causing Pichu to become very angry. Pichu tried to run at him, but Pikachu and Meowth held him back.

"Pika-pika-chu," Pikachu said, trying to calm him down. ("Dude, it's not worth it.")

"Don't let him get to you," Meowth added. Pichu then started to relax just a little bit.

"Walker, this is my cousin Ash," Gavin said gesturing over to his cousin. "Next to him is his girlfriend May and her brother Max. Oh, and that's his partner Pikachu and that's Meowth."

Walker then noticed Dawn and said, "And who is this lovely lady? Certainly not your girlfriend, Gavin."

Now Ash, Gary, Brock, Tracey, Cilan, Max, and even Pikachu, Pichu, and Meowth had to hold Gavin back. Misty, Iris, and even May looked slightly annoyed at Walker. Strangely enough, though, Dawn just smiled, walked over, gestured for the guys to let him go, and then, after they released him, she held his hand and said, "My name is Dawn, and actually, I am his girlfriend."

She then gave Gavin a peck on the cheek that made him turn a deep red. Walker looked shocked. He then smirked and said, "Wow, Gavin. Never thought that you had it in you. Oh, well. You still can't beat me in a battle."

"Why don't we battle now?" Gavin said, challenging his rival.

"I'd rather wait until the tournament," Walker said with a grin.

"Tournament?" The group repeated in unison.

* * *

><p>The gang, plus Walker, began to make their way towards Kafue Town. Along the way, Walker began telling them about this tournament that was to be held the very next day. They found out that there 32 entrants would battle it out until there was one left. The winner would receive a mysterious prize that would be revealed at the end of the tournament.<p>

Finally, they arrived in the town. It looked to be a small town, but it was filled with people there to either participate in or just watch the tournament.

Just as they arrived, a shadow loomed over them. They all looked up and were immediately surprised. There, flying in the air was an Articuno!

"Wow! An Articuno!" Max exclaimed.

The majestic blue bird creature landed in front of them and someone jumped off of its back. It was a man that looked about twenty-one years old with short brown hair and blue eyes. He wore blue pants, black shoes, and a blue, short-sleeved shirt that the group could see, when the man had his back to them, had a picture of an Articuno on the back.

The man then looked at the awe-struck teens and asked, "Excuse me, do you know if this is the town where the tournament is being held?"

Ash nodded and then walked up to him and said, "Yeah, this is the place. By the way, I'm Ash and this is my buddy, Pikachu."

Pikachu, who was on the raven-haired boy's shoulder, waved and said, "Pika-pika."

"I'm Jeff Carmine, and this is my partner, Articuno," Jeff said, grinning at the Freeze Bird Pokémon.

Max then took out his Pokédex and scanned it.

"_Articuno, the Freeze Pok__é__mon. Articuno lives deep within mountain regions, and is said to be able to fly by gracefully waving its tail._"

"How did you get an Articuno?" Walker asked incredulously.

"Long story, tell you some other time," Jeff said, climbing back onto Articuno's back. "Right now, we've got a tournament to register for!"

With that, the blue bird took off and flew into the sky.

* * *

><p>After the bird disappeared from their sight, a boy came running up past them with a pure black Absol with a white horn, tail, and face running next to him.<p>

The boy had short brown hair and blue eyes, wearing brown cargo shorts, and a navy blue long-sleeved shirt. The shirt had its sleeves pushed up and a phoenix symbol on its center. He also wore black shoes with some yellow on them and had a backpack on his back with its strap slung over his chest.

He then stopped in front of the group and asked, "Was that an Articuno?"

The group nodded and then the boy exclaimed, "That's so cool! Oh, wait, what time is it?"

He then looked over at a clock and panicked.

"Come on, Absol, let's hurry!" He yelled.

The Disaster Pokémon nodded and then the two ran off. The boy then looked back for a second and shouted, "By the way, my name's Timothy Broome!" He then ran off out of sight.

* * *

><p>After these two strange meetings, the group then walked over to where the registration for the tournament was being held.<p>

"Hey, Gavin, we should enter this tournament!" Ash said when he saw all of these trainers that filled up the place.

Gavin nodded and said, "Sure, sounds fun."

While Ash and Gavin decided to enter the tournament, the others decided to just sit this one out.

"We'll cheer you both on during your battles," Brock said to the two of them.

At that point, Ash, Gavin, and Walker went to go and get in line to register while the others sat in some chairs nearby.

While they stood in line, two boys walked up to them. Well, one walked. One was a boy that looked about thirteen or fourteen years old. He also was in a wheelchair. He wore a red jacket, a neon-green short-sleeved shirt underneath, blue jeans, a baby blue backpack, and bright white sneakers. He had brown hair that was kind of messy, and his eyes were kind of strange. One was sapphire-colored and the other was emerald in color. On his shoulder, there sat a Tyrogue, but instead of being purple and red, this Tyrogue was brown and blue, similar to one of its possible evolutions, Hitmontop.

The other was a boy who looked around fifteen with brown hair and amber eyes, wearing a blue baseball cap, a red t-shirt, and blue jean shorts.

"Are you guys in line to register for the tournament?" The boy with the Tyrogue asked.

Ash, Gavin, and Walker all nodded.

"So are we," The baseball cap-wearing boy said with a grin. "I'm Kyle. Kyle J. Chang."

"And I'm Tommy," the other boy said in greeting. "Oh, this is my partner, Tyrogue."

"Rogue!" Tyrogue said cheerfully from Tommy's shoulder.

"I'm Ash, and this is Pikachu," Ash said. Pikachu smiled at being mentioned.

"My name's Gavin, and this is Pichu," Gavin said, shaking the boys' hands. Pichu waved at Tyrogue, who waved back.

"And we're Walker and Aipom, the future champions of this tournament!" Walker said proudly.

"So which one of you is the Aipom again?" Gavin asked.

The others laughed while Walker glared at Gavin.

* * *

><p>"What is taking them so long?" Misty complained as she sat in one of the lobby chairs.<p>

"Calm down, Misty," Cilan said in a reassuring manner. "They'll be back as soon as they can."

"Yeah, well…Ahhhhhh!" Misty screamed in surprise as a shadowy figure rose up in front of her. In her fright, she jumped right into Tracey's arms. Tracey grinned while Gary looked slightly annoyed. The shadowy figure chuckled at this incident.

"Hey, it's a Gengar!" Max exclaimed.

And so it was. However, this Gengar wasn't like the one that their friend Ash had. This Gengar, instead of purple, was colored a dark blue that almost looked black, and its eyes, which normally would've been a dark red, were a slightly lighter red. It was a shiny Gengar.

"There you are, Gengar!" The group suddenly heard a voice yell. They turned and saw a boy of about sixteen with brown hair, green eyes, and a slight tan running towards them. His hair fell just over his ear and occasionally as he ran. He looked annoyed at this, pushing the hair out of his eyes and then walking over towards the Gengar.

"I thought I told you not to scare people," The boy said with a stern expression on his face.

"Gen-gen-gar-gar!" Gengar said with a laugh.

"No, it was not funny! You know better!" The boy scolded.

While Gengar pouted, the boy pinched the sides of his nose, and then smiled apologetically at the group and said, "Sorry about that. Gengar has a tendency to wander off whenever it's bored. I'm Orange by the way."

Suddenly though, Gengar went into the ground and then came out in front of a girl that was hitting a punching bag close by. She was about six feet tall, looking about nineteen years old, with dark skin and short, salt-and-pepper colored hair that was spiked to the right. She wore a grey knit cap, an orange turtleneck with a lavender vest over it, light wash jeans, and she had athletic tape around her hands and feet.

Gengar made a face to try to scare her, but she stood there unfazed, and then took out a Pokéball. She threw it into the air, and in a flash of light, a very large Pokémon appeared.

It resembled a green suit of armor that was possessed by a ghost. It had a small head compared to the rest of its body, and it had large bangles on all of its limbs. It also had a large crack across the chest of the armor which was patched diagonally in the opposite orientation which resembled a belt. It had a crystal-like formation on its shoulders. It had a Roman-armor-like "skirt" and flat feet beneath as well.

Gengar looked freaked out, quickly flying behind Orange in fright.

"Thanks, Goloro," The girl said to the large Pokémon.

Dawn took out her Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

"_Golurk, the Automaton Pok__é__mon, and the evolved form of Golett. It flies across the sky at Mach speeds. Removing the seal on its chest makes its internal energy go out of control. It is said that Golurk were ordered to protect people and Pok__é__mon by the ancient people who made them._"

"Sorry about Gengar," Orange said, once again glaring at Gengar.

"It's cool," the girl said, hitting the bag again. "I'm Maris, by the way. Maris O'Conner."

"Gangway!" They all suddenly heard a young voice shout.

"Get back here you little brat!" A deeper voice yelled.

They all turned and saw a young boy of about fourteen being chased by a guy that looked around seventeen. The boy had brown hair and brown eyes. He wore navy running shorts, white tennis shoes, a brown, long-sleeved V-necked t-shirt, and a blue knit cap with dangling ropes. The guy, on the other hand, wore steel-toed boots, black jeans, a grey t-shirt, black gloves, steel-shoulder pads, a grey bandana around his mouth and nose, and a black tuque.

The boy then ran and hid behind May's chair and the guy screeched to a halt. Even with his face covered, one could tell that there a leering smile on his face. May looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Well, hello there," the guy said, trying to sound cool. "My name's Jim Alraik, or as you can call me, your _new boyfriend_. So, what's your name?"

"You can just call her _my girlfriend_," A stern voice said from behind him.

Jim turned around to see a very angry raven-haired trainer with a just-as-angry Electric Mouse Pokémon on his shoulder, sparks flying from its cheeks.

"Ash!" May said happily, looking very relieved. She got up and ran up to him, wrapping her arms around him. Ash smiled at her and then continued to glare at Jim.

Jim snorted and said, "Whatever. I gotta find that brat anyhow."

Jim started to walk off. It seemed that the sight of May had completely distracted him from the fact that the boy was still hiding behind the chair.

Jim stopped when he saw Dawn, Misty, and Iris, but then noticed Gavin, Tracey, Gary, and Cilan glaring at him. He then stormed off, looking really mad.

Walker then walked over and pulled the boy out from behind the chair.

"Dude, what'd you do to him?" Walker asked.

"Dumped a bucket of water balloons on him this morning. He's been chasing me for hours," the boy replied.

"Dude, nice," Walker said, slightly impressed. "I'm Walker."

"The name's Kory," The boy replied. They then shook each other's hand.

It was quite strange. The two looked so similar. It was like they were brothers or something. Nah...Gavin knew that Walker didn't have a brother.

* * *

><p>Later, while heading to the Pokémon Center to get some rooms and a late lunch, the group ran into three more competitors.<p>

One was a guy that looked around sixteen, wearing a red shirt with green stripes, jeans, a blue cap, and Pokéball patterned gloves.

The second was a guy a year younger than the first with black hair and gray eyes, wearing a red jacket with a white collar and bottom and black wrist cuffs, a black shirt underneath, black sweat shorts, a gray backpack with a single strap, a black-and-yellow cap that he wore backwards with his hair sticking out from under it, and gray-and-red tennis shoes. On his wrist he wore a blue Pokégear similar to Brock's.

The third and the youngest, looking around fourteen, was a girl with long silver hair that had a black crest that was similar to a Staraptor's crest and silver eyes. She wore black short shorts, a white tee, a black coat that looked kind of like a lab coat, mid-thigh silver boots, and black gloves. Sitting on her shoulder was a strange sight: it was a Pikachu, kind of like Ash's, but it had white fur, purple cheeks, and black ear-tips, back stripes, & tail marking instead of the usual yellow fur, red cheeks, and brown stripes. Although, the ear tips looked normal. One could also tell that it was female, due to the V-shaped dent in its tail.

"Wow! That Pikachu looks rare!" Gary commented.

"Thanks," The girl said, smiling and rubbing the Pikachu's head. The Pikachu returned the rubbing by cooing at her touch. "I'm Afeleon and this is Sparx."

"Chaa," Sparx said, waving at everyone.

"I'm Ash and this is my partner Pikachu," Ash said, to which Pikachu waved.

"I'm Lune," the oldest boy said with a grin. "You'll know me as the 'Tournament Champion' later."

"And I'm Webb Hahn," the other boy said coolly.

After a few introductions were made, another boy that looked about seventeen ran up. He had dark blue hair and red eyes. He wore a black shirt, navy jeans, gold colored tennis shoes and gloves, and a blue-and-black hat with a gold three-pronged symbol similar to an Empoleon's.

"Hey, Cilan, it's been a while!" He said as he stopped in front of them.

"Vladimir, it's great to see you!" Cilan said with a grin.

Cilan then explained to everyone, including Walker, Afeleon, Lune, and Webb, that Vladimir Burns was a trainer from Unova that had challenged him once to a battle and won the badge.

"So, are you competing in the tournament as well?" Cilan asked.

"Yeah, I'm taking a short break from my Amaro gym battles to compete. And I'm gonna win!" Vladimir said confidently.

This broke out into an argument between Ash, Walker, Lune, and Vladimir on who was going to win. The others sighed, not knowing that they were being watched.

* * *

><p>Six people were watching the large group. One was a guy that looked to be in his early twenties, about six feet tall, with neck-length silver hair, wearing black sunglasses over his eyes. He also wore a leather jacket, Spanish-style cowboy boots, biker-style jeans, and a necklace with a dragon-shaped pendant around his neck.<p>

The second was a guy about six feet and dressed in purple ninja garbs. Standing next to him was the third, a guy wearing a red t-shirt and jeans with red hair and red eyes. He was about 5'11".

Standing especially close to the first guy was a girl with both dark blue hair and eyes, wearing a black skirt and a dark blue shirt. She looked very similar to Dawn.

The other two were both girls. One had long, sea-green hair and same-colored eyes, wearing a green sleeveless shirt, blue jeans, and a serpent-shaped necklace around her neck. The other was a brunette, her hair was back-length, wearing a white t-shirt and black shorts with a tiger pendant necklace around her neck.

"So, Ryan," The red-haired boy said to the leading guy. "Anyone there worth fighting?"

Ryan stared at all of the people talking in the distance. Most of them looked worthless, but the raven-haired boy with a hat and a Pikachu on his shoulder caught his attention.

"That one," Ryan said in a tone that was almost emotionless. He then looked at Gavin and said, "And that one."

"Seems reasonable," The redhead said, turning to the ninja. "What say you, Kaze?"

Kaze shrugged, utterly silent.

"Infierno, you know that he never says anything," The green-haired girl said with a slightly amused expression.

"Yeah, well, I will get him to say something eventually, Crystal," Infierno said confidently.

"Sure you will, right, Sierra?" Crystal said to the brunette.

"Yeah, in a million years," Sierra said with a chuckle. The two laughed, much to Infierno's dismay.

Ryan then coughed. A glob of blood landed on the ground in front. The others looked immediately concerned.

"Ryan, careful, your condition," The blue-haired girl said, looking the most worried.

"I'm fine, Hikari," Ryan said, still staring at the two trainers. What was it that made them so special?

* * *

><p>About an hour later, after the others broke up the argument, the group finally made it to the Pokémon Center. They rented two rooms and then went to eat what was now to be dinner.<p>

They saw several people that looked to be entering the tournament. One was a boy that had brown hair and sea-green eyes, wearing a brown jacket with a Pokéball symbol on it and black pants.

Another was a guy with blue hair and blue eyes. He wore an orange headband, baggy jeans, an orange shirt and a black jacket. Under the jacket's sleeves, one could see the cuffs of a cream-colored, long-sleeved undershirt.

One guy had black hair tied back into dreadlocks, brown eyes, and dark skin, and he wore a long, button-down black vest with a pair of blue jeans.

"I wonder who these trainers are?" Max said as he ate.

"I can help with that," A voice said from the booth behind them.

They turned around to see a boy with black hair and brown eyes, wearing a green cap with white on the front, a green vest with a blue shirt, green pants, and blue sneakers. In the seat next to him was a blue backpack with a blue badge on it.

"Hi, I'm Fermin, and I'm competing in the tournament, too," He said with a grin.

"Cool," Ash said, interested in knowing more about some of the competitors. "So, who are they?"

Fermin then pointed to the first boy and said, "That's Zen. He's a pretty good trainer that also loves to prank people. He also has some good Pokémon with him."

"Over there is Karl Seeger from Tōkyo City," He said, gesturing to the blue-haired guy. "He only really enters tournaments, even though he has never won any of them. But, he's still a good trainer with a strong team."

He then pointed over at the guy in the black vest. "That's Trentavious Phoenix, Trent for short. He's from Sinnoh and he's gotten into the Top Eight in every region that he's entered in."

"Oh, yeah," Ash said with a spark of remembrance. "I think he battled my rival Trip in the Unova League a little bit ago. He was really good, even if he lost."

Fermin then pointed over at a guy with brown hair and eyes, wearing a red jacket, gray pants, and brown shoes and said, "That guy's name is Sean. He's really got a strong team. He's competed in all five of the other regional leagues with his partner, Raichu."

Brock noticed a guy with black hair and brown eyes, wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase nearby.

"Who's that?" He asked Fermin.

Fermin squinted and said, "Oh, that's Joe. He's an entrepreneur that supposed to own a successful business company. It's strange that he's here because he usually doesn't have time to battle."

"How do you know all of this stuff?" Gavin asked.

Fermin shrugged and said, "I guess it's to give the readers a quick account of some of the competitors so that this chapter can finally be finished and posted."

Everyone looked at him strangely, all very confused.

**(Can we please stop breaking the fourth wall, people?)**

"What was that?" Gary asked.

"It's better that you not know," Fermin said, standing up, pulling on his backpack, and walking off.

After an awkward silence, the group decided to head down to the stadium where the opening ceremony was to be held that night.

* * *

><p>At this point, May decided to let out her Glaceon to walk with her. Pikachu seemed happy to see her.<p>

As they were walking down the road, ready for the opening ceremony, May, who was too busy staring at Ash to notice where she was walking, ran into someone.

"Sorry about that," May said, looking up at the person.

The guy turned around. He was wearing a fancy suit and had silver hair and blue eyes. He looked at May disdainfully.

"I don't think that I should apologize to anyone who would have the audacity to run into me, especially a common _coordinator_," He said, nastily spitting out the last word like it was a bad word or something.

"Uh, excuse me, what was that?" Dawn asked angrily.

"You heard me. What are you going to do about it, _coordinator_?" He said with a sneer.

Ash and the others looked like they were going to destroy this guy. Glaceon was even growling. But then, a tall guy with black hair, brown eyes, and dark skin walked up. He was wearing a red cap, a white t-shirt with a red-hatted, mustachioed video game character on it that said "Super Mario" on it in multi-colored letters, and black basketball shorts.

"Step off, man, or we will have a problem," He said in a deep voice.

The man in the suit looked disgusted and said, "Well, I never! I, Alex Von Kizvard will not be talked to like that by such a _commoner_."

He then stormed off and the tall guy turned to them and said, "I really don't like that guy."

Ash then held out his hand and said, "Thanks for the assist. I'm Ash by the way."

The guy took it and said, "Anytime. I'm Mario Garcon."

The two of them seemed to have very similar personalities. Mario then walked with them to the stadium.

* * *

><p>While they walked, Mario identified some of the trainers that the group saw.<p>

"That's Yamagi Ishida," He said, pointing over a guy with short, purple hair and blue eyes, wearing a black-and-white t-shirt, black-rimmed purple shorts, white socks, and gray sneakers. "He's supposed to be a pretty good trainer who knows a lot about Ancient Pokémon."

Mario then gestured towards a guy that looked around seventeen with short, blue hair, red eyes, and tanned skin. He wore a red bandana, a white, sleeveless jacket that he wore open, a red shirt, blue pants, and orange-and-white sneakers.

"Over there is Mike Carson. He likes battling, but he really only does tournaments, not gym battles."

Suddenly, a small, dark figure ran up to them.

"Hey, it's an Umbreon!" Iris exclaimed.

The Umbreon then walked over towards Glaceon and smiled at her.

"Bre-bre-bre-on-umbre?" It asked in a suave manner. ("What's a lovely-looking Ice-type like yourself doing here?")

Glaceon gave a slight smile, blushing heavily. Nobody noticed, but Pikachu was looking really angry.

Then, a boy about 5 foot 2 walked up to them. He had short black hair and black eyes. He wore a blue t-shirt and yellow long pants.

"There you are, Umbreon," He said, pulling out a Pokéball. "Return."

A red light shot out from the ball and pulled Umbreon into it, making it disappear. Pikachu looked happy about that.

"Sorry about that," He said, holding out his hand to Ash. "I'm Dark. Dark Williams."

* * *

><p>Finally, the group made it to the stadium. The group then parted with Ash, Gavin, Walker, and the other competitors went down to the middle of the stadium and the others went up to the stands.<p>

While going down, they met up with a few of the people that they had met earlier, and Walker took out a sort of mini-laptop to look up the last of the competition.

"That trainer over there is Tara," He said, pointing at a girl that looked around eighteen with light blue hair and lavender eyes, wearing a long, white jacket over a purple sleeveless shirt, white dress pants, high-heeled white boots, and white gloves. "It says here that she's supposed to be a master strategist."

They then noticed a sixteen year old male wearing a red button-up t-shirt, which was unbuttoned and had a "XIV" symbol monogrammed on his chest pocket and on the back, there read "Juggalo 4 Life" in strange handwriting. Under this, he wore a black, sleeveless shirt. He also wore white Dickies jeans, a black studded belt with hemp leaves along it, black fingerless gloves, black long socks, black street sneakers with red lining along the bottoms and most of the soles, a black pinstripe fedora, a sort of cross pendant on his neck.

"Who's that?" Gavin asked.

Walker looked him up and then said, "That's Josh Prigmore. It says he's a good battler."

They saw two other competitors. One was a guy looked to be about sixteen with brown hair, wearing basic jeans, a red sweatshirt that was fully zipped up, basic running shoes, and a pair of sunglasses. Walker looked him up and saw that his name was Mike McHarrot, a trainer from Johto who was known for his defensive training.

The other was a male around seventeen who wore all black clothes that looked like the kind that the Kanto Elite Four member Lance wore, including the cape. He had black hair and brown eyes. They soon found out his name was Blake and he was a trainer with a team of powerful Pokémon.

"Wait, that's thirty-one," Walker said, now frantically looking through the tournament files. "Where's the last one?"

"Uh, Walker…," Gavin said, tapping him on the shoulder.

"They've gotta be around here somewhere," Walker said, looking a bit worried.

"Walker…," Gavin said, slightly louder.

"Come on! Where are you?" Walker yelled out.

"WALKER!" Gavin shouted into his ear.

"Just gotta find them, but where…," Walker said, starting to sound crazy.

"PICHUUUUUUU!" Pichu cried as he sent a Thundershock through Walker and Aipom.

Walker and Aipom looked charred, but then, a beeping sound came out of the device.

"Oh! Here they are!" Walker said, finally the thirty-second competitor. "Now, what is it?"

"We already found them," Gavin said, pointing off into the distance.

Walker looked and saw a figure in a brown cloak and hood, which made it to where they couldn't tell what they looked like.

"So, what's their info?" Gavin asked.

"It actually doesn't say," Walker said, shocked.

"Huh," Ash said, staring at the hooded trainer. He couldn't help but feel a familiar aura surrounding them. Why did they seem so familiar? Ash then shrugged it off and continued heading to the middle of the stadium.

* * *

><p>"Welcome, competitors to the Kafue Town Battle Tournament!" A man with gray spiky hair and black eyes, wearing a white suit said into a microphone. The crowd cheered as fireworks shot off around the stadium.<p>

On the field in the middle of the stadium, all 32 competitors stood together with one Pokémon beside each of them.

"I'm your host, Mr. Battrio, and now, let us see what battles will be taking place in the first round tomorrow!"

Then, on a large, electronic board, thirty-two pictures of all of the competitors were shown. Suddenly, the pictures began shifting around on the screen. They soon began to slow down, and came to a complete…stop!

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 30: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 1: Let the First Round Begin!"<span>_- The Kafue Town Battle Tournament has begun! However, just who will be battling each other in the first round? Who will win? Who will lose? Also, who is this mysterious thirty-second trainer? Questions to be discussed in the next chapter of Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**And the tournament begins! Next Chapter! Hope you guys liked it! By the way, some of the info on some of the OCs I had to make up myself, cause I didn't realize that some info was missing. This was usually either hair color, eye color, or clothes. If you submitted an OC and you want me to correct this, I will do so immediately. However, you will have to t****ell me before I post chapter 31 because I'll have reached the 15-chapter upload store limit. Those of you with fanfic accounts know what I'm talking about. Anyways, Read & Review! Will work on chapter 30 as soon as I can, but I currently have exams and essays coming up, so it'll be a few days. I'll be able to update more frequently once I get out for Winter Break at the end of next week! So, to those who celebrate it, Happy Thanksgiving! **

**Also, anyone who can guess who the mysterious 32nd competitor in the tournament will get infinite props! However, I won't give hints this time! So, you'll have to guess yourself! Mwhahahahahaha!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Here's my longest chapter yet! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 30: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 1: Let the First Round Begin!"_

(Flashback)

"_Welcome, competitors to the Kafue Town Battle Tournament!" A man with gray spiky hair and black eyes, wearing a white suit said into a microphone. The crowd cheered as fireworks shot off around the stadium. _

_ On the field in the middle of the stadium, all 32 competitors stood together with one Pok__é__mon beside each of them._

_ "I'm your host, Mr. Battrio, and now, let us see what battles will be taking place in the first round tomorrow!"_

_ Then, on a large, electronic board, thirty-two pictures of all of the competitors were shown. Suddenly, the pictures began shifting around on the screen. They soon began to slow down, and came to a complete…stop!_

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>Everyone in the stadium, including every single one of the thirty-two competitors, tensed up as the randomized tournament bracket on the screen slowly came to a stop.<p>

"And there you have it!" Mr. Battrio said to the crowds. "Here are the first-round match-ups of the Kafue Town Battle Tournament!"

* * *

><p><strong>Maris O' Conner versus Blake<strong>

(The female boxer and the cape-wearing trainer exchanged glances.)

** Ryan versus Webb Hahn**

(Webb grinned at Ryan, who just rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses.)

** Josh Prigmore versus Ash Ketchum**

(Ash and Josh gave confident smiles at each other.)

** Mario Garcon versus Tara**

(The tall, dark-skinned trainer smiled while the master strategist had a contemplative look on her face.)

** Kyle J Chang versus Mike McHarrot**

(The two teenagers, one offensive and one defensive, looked over at each other for a slight second and then turned back to the screen.)

**Gavin versus Mike Carson**

(Gavin and Mike gave each other a nod.)

**Alex Von Kizvard versus Dark Williams**

(Alex gave an arrogant sneer, which caused Dark to get slightly angry.)

**Yamagi Ishida versus Fermin**

(Yamagi and Fermin gave each other thumbs-up signs.)

**Sean versus Trentavious Phoenix**

(Sean and Trent stared at each other for a moment, both looking ready for battle.)

**Jeff Carmine versus Timothy George Broome**

(Timothy looked excited, as he was getting to face the trainer that he had seen flying on the Articuno earlier.)

**Zen versus Walker**

(Zen and Walker looked at each other and grinned.)

**Vladimir Burns versus Lune**

(The two trainers indicated their locations.)

**Kory versus Jim Alraik**

(Kory looked panicked while Jim happily sneered and cracked his knuckles.)

**? versus Karl Seeger**

(Karl tried to smile at the hooded figure, but couldn't tell what the mysterious trainer was thinking due to not being able to see their face.)

**Joe versus Orange**

(Joe was currently on his PDA, so he didn't notice Orange trying to catch his attention.)

**Tommy versus Afeleon**

(The boy in the wheelchair and the girl with the white Pikachu on her shoulder gave each other similar smiles.)

* * *

><p>"The first-round battles will start tomorrow! They will all be three-on-three battles!" Mr. Battrio announced. "So, until then, have a good night's rest!"<p>

At this, everyone began to head out of the stadium, the group meeting back up with each other to walk together back to the Pokémon Center for the night.

"Say, Ash, Gavin," Walker said as the sun slowly was setting, "What Pokémon are you going to use in your battles?"

"I…don't know," Ash said, realizing that he didn't know anything about the opponent he was facing.

"Why don't you look it up on that laptop of yours?" Gavin asked.

"Sure," Walker said, taking out his laptop. "Okay, Ash, here's your opponent. And Gavin, here's your opponent."

Gavin and Ash looked at the laptop and then began to ponder what they would use against such strong opponents.

* * *

><p>The next morning, after everyone got a good night's sleep and Ash &amp; Gavin got their teams ready, the group then headed to the stadium to watch the first match.<p>

"Welcome all to the first round of the Battle Tournament!" The announcer said to the crowds. "Now, let's begin with our first match between Maris O'Conner and Blake!"

On the field, the female boxer that Ash and the others had met yesterday stood on the field across from the caped crusader that they had seen yesterday.

"This is a three-on-three battle!" The referee said to the trainers. "Once all three Pokémon on one side are knocked out, then the other side will be declared the winner! So, without further ado, let the battle begin!"

"Hariyoro, fighting stance, let's go!" Maris said as she threw a Pokéball to the field in a sort of boxing move. It was almost like she actually punched the ball.

In a flash of light, a large and hulking creature landed onto the field with a thud. It sort of looked like a sumo wrestler. It's most notable feature, though, was its large, orange-colored, three-fingered hands.

"Hari-yama!" Hariyoro cried, putting its dukes up.

"A Hariyama, eh? Well, then," Blake said as he took out a Pokéball in a style similar to the famous Dragon elite from Kanto. "Haxorus, show them your might!"

In an instance, the large, golden Dragon-type with red jaws appeared on the field.

"Hariyoro, use Bullet Punch!" Maris commanded.

Hariyoro's arms began to glow red as it began running towards Haxorus.

"Haxorus, use Dragon Claw!" Blake ordered.

Haxorus's claws glowed light blue as it prepared to attack. The two Pokémon began clashing, fist-to-claw, as sparks flew.

"Haxorus, hit it with Iron Tail!" Blake yelled.

Haxorus's tail took on a metallic glow as it broke apart from its clash with Hariyoro and swung it at its opponent, knocking it back several yards. Hariyoro looked like it had taken a lot of damage.

* * *

><p>"Why is Hariyama hurt so bad?" Max asked. "I thought that Dragon-and-Steel-type attacks weren't super-effective against it."<p>

"His Haxorus must have the Rivalry ability," Iris concluded.

"Rivalry?" Dawn inquired.

"Yes," Iris answered. "It's an ability that increases the damage of the user's moves against an opponent of the same gender. Both are males, so Haxorus's attacks will deal a lot of damage."

* * *

><p>"Hariyoro, use Faint Attack!" Maris instructed.<p>

Hariyoro ran towards Haxorus and then disappeared.

"Huh? Where'd it go?" Blake thought out loud.

Then, Hariyoro suddenly reappeared behind Haxorus.

"Now, use Ice Punch!" Maris commanded.

"What!" Blake said, shocked.

Hariyoro's fist glowed light blue with an icy aurora surrounding it as it punched Haxorus in the back. The attack was super-effective, knocking it down. Haxorus struggled to get up.

"Hariyoro, use Surf!" Maris directed.

Hariyoro was then lifted into the air by a wave of water that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and then began riding it towards the Axe Jaw Pokémon.

"Haxorus, quick, use Earthquake!" Blake shouted.

Haxorus got up onto its feet, lifted one foot into the air, and then smashed it down into the ground, creating a shockwave that shook the whole stadium.

* * *

><p>"W-w-w-w-wow!" Tracey said, as he and the rest of the crowd felt the impact of the earthquake. "Hax-o-rus's earth-q-quake cer-tain-ly is p-p-p-powerful!"<p>

"M-m-make it st-st-stop!" Meowth yelled.

* * *

><p>The shockwave from the earthquake caused Hariyoro's wave to falter, putting it off balance. Then, it lost its balance entirely and started falling to the ground.<p>

"Now, finish it off with Hyper Beam!" Blake ordered.

Haxorus then opened its mouth and fired a pale pink beam of energy with white energy surrounding it at Hariyoro. The powerful beam hit Hariyoro before it hit the ground, sending it hurtling towards the wall. Hariyoro hit the wall, creating a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, everyone could see that Hariyoro was knocked out.

"Hariyama is unable to battle! Haxorus is the winner!"

Maris returned Hariyoro to its Pokéball and said softly, "Thank you for your efforts, Hariyoro."

She then took out another ball, threw it into the air, and then yelled, "Aggoro, fighting stance! Let's go!"

In a flash of light, the large, Iron Armor Pokémon appeared, roaring, and then getting into a fighting stance.

"Too easy. Haxorus, use Earthquake!" Blake said with a grin.

Haxorus once again lifted its leg and then brought its foot down, creating a shock wave that shook the entire stadium. However, Aggron just stood there, unfazed.

* * *

><p>"H-h-huh?" Misty said as she vibrated. "I th-th-thought that Haxorus had th-the Rivalry ability."<p>

"W-w-well," Gary started as the Earthquake ceased. "Aggron usually have the Sturdy ability, which prevent the user from being knocked out in a single hit, but I don't think that Aggron was even really affected by that move for its Sturdy ability to be activated."

"So what are you saying?" Walker asked.

"I'm saying that Aggron is probably a…"

* * *

><p>"A GIRL!" Blake said incredulously. Even his Haxorus looked shocked.<p>

Maris just smiled and said, "Aggoro, use Dragon Rush!"

Aggoro's head glowed blue and then her body was enveloped in a blue light. She then charged at Haxorus with great speed and knocked it to the ground. Haxorus was knocked out by the impact.

"Haxorus is unable to battle! Aggron is the winner!"

Blake then returned Haxorus to its ball and took out another ball.

"Escavalier, show them your might!" He yelled as he threw it into the air.

In a flash of light, the Cavalry Pokémon appeared on the field. Its lances gleamed as it floated above slightly above the field.

"Escavalier, use X-Scissor!" Blake commanded.

Escavalier crossed its blades and then charged towards Aggoro with a light blue energy that was shaped like an "X."

"Aggoro, use Thunderbolt!" Maris ordered, throwing a fist straight forward.

Aggoro released a blast of yellow electricity at Escavalier. Escavalier was hurt, but it kept on coming.

"Aggoro, catch it!" Maris instructed.

Aggoro caught Escavalier as it came, only being knocked backward a couple of feet.

"Now, use Head Smash!" Maris shouted.

Aggoro's body was cloaked in a harsh blue light as she brought her head down on Escavalier.

Escavalier stumbled in the air slightly, dazed. It then shook it off and prepared its lances.

"Escavalier, use Focus Blast!" Blake yelled.

Escavalier then held its lances out straight in the air and fired a light blue ball of focused energy at Aggoro.

"Use AncientPower!" Maris commanded.

Aggoro formed a silver ball of energy in its arms and then threw it at the Focus Blast. The two blasts collided and then created a huge explosion and a cloud of black smoke.

As the smoke cleared, both Pokémon could be seen breathing heavily. Suddenly though, they both fell over and fell into unconsciousness.

"Neither Pokémon is able to battle! This round is proclaimed a draw!"

* * *

><p>"They're both really good," Ash commented. "Whoever wins this next round will go on to the next round."<p>

"Pika," Pikachu said, awe-struck.

* * *

><p>"Goloro, fighting stance! Let's go!" Maris said as she threw a Pokéball into the air.<p>

In a flash, the large Automaton Pokémon appeared onto the field. It cast a shadow across the field on Blake.

"Hydreigon, show them your might!" Blake said as he threw a Pokéball to the field.

In a flash of blue light, a three-headed, dragon-like creature appeared in the air. It had six black wings on its back, a fuchsia-colored flower-like collar which opens to its main head, and each of its "hands" sported a smaller head. Each head was blue and they had black eyes with fuchsia pupils. There were small collars inside its hands. Two fuchsia stripes that looked like overalls were on its abdomen. Its feet appeared atrophied, due to there only being a couple of toes on each foot. Its tail also had a fuchsia stripe on it with a black tuft on the end of it.

"Hydreigon, use Dragon Pulse!" Blake commanded.

Hydreigon opened its mouth and then launched a green ball of light at Goloro.

"Goloro, use Shadow Punch!" Maris ordered.

Goloro pulled back one of its arms and purple-and-black energy appeared around it, forming into a shadowy arm. It then punched forward and a black fist outlined in purple shot out and destroyed Hydreigon's attack.

"What?" Blake said, confused. "Use Dark Pulse!"

Hydreigon's three mouths opened and shot blasts of shadowy rings towards Goloro.

"Mega Punch!" Maris yelled, throwing a punch forward.

Goloro's fist glowed and then it punched the rings with great force, rendering them powerless.

"How did it do that?" Blake said, dumbfounded.

"Goloro's my most powerful Pokémon," Maris said calmly. "It can't be taken down easily."

"Hydreigon, use Outrage!" Blake shouted.

All six of Hydreigon's eyes glowed red and its body became outlined by a red aura. It then surged forward at an amazing speed, and tackled into Goloro. Goloro was knocked to the ground, and Hydreigon began attacking ceaselessly.

* * *

><p>"Golurk's in trouble," Gavin said as they watched the battle at hand. "Unless it can get Hydreigon off of itself, it's done for."<p>

"But what can it do?" May asked.

* * *

><p>"Goloro, use Heavy Slam!" Maris instructed.<p>

Goloro lifted its arms and slammed them into Hydreigon, knocking it far back and allowing it to stand back up. Hydreigon was still flying around angry.

"Hydreigon, focus your anger into a Hyper Beam!" Blake directed.

Hydreigon then fired a pale-pink-turned-dark-red blast of energy surrounded by black energy towards Goloro.

"Goloro, use Charge Beam!" Maris shouted.

Goloro lit up with sparkling electricity and then fired a bolt of lightning towards the Outrage-charged Hyper Beam. The two blasts collided and then exploded, creating a cloud of dust.

As the dust cleared, the two Pokémon stood there, both looking beat. Then, all of the sudden, Hydreigon winced and fell to the ground, knocked out.

"Hydreigon is unable to battle! Golurk is the winner! The victory goes to Maris O'Conner!"

* * *

><p>The crowd exploded into cheers. Blake recalled Hydreigon and stared down at the ground. He then felt a tap on the shoulder. He looked up and saw Maris.<p>

"Nice job," Maris said, holding out her hand. Blake grinned and they shook.

* * *

><p>"What a battle!" Brock said as the crowd cheered.<p>

"I can't wait to see the next one!" Walker said ecstatically.

* * *

><p>About half-an-hour later, the field was prepared for the next battle.<p>

"Will Ryan and Webb Hahn come down to the battlefield?"

Ryan looked over at his friends, some of which had changed attire since yesterday. Infierno was now wearing an orange, long-sleeved shirt, black jeans, a red jacket, and sneakers with a flame design on them. Crystal and Sierra were wearing knee-length skirts, jackets, and t-shirts. However, Crystal's clothes were sea green and Sierra's were different shades of brown. Kaze was still wearing purple ninja garbs, but strangely enough, he was wearing a Chinese umbrella hat on his head.

Ryan, along with his other clothes, was wearing a black, gang-patterned bandana around his neck. He then removed his sunglasses for a moment, showing eyes that had black scleras, purple irises, and no whites.

"Be careful, Ryan," Hikari said worriedly.

Ryan grunted and then put his sunglasses back over his eyes. He then took out a Pokéball and muttered, "I won't use you for this battle. I'll save you for if I have to battle anyone worthy."

He then stared up into the stands. Even though they were far away, he could somehow sense the two trainers that he had noticed the day prior.

'_A strange aura is emanating out of them,_' He thought, sensing great power coming from them. '_What are they?_'

* * *

><p>Soon, both trainers stood on either side of the battlefield. Webb looked confident while Ryan stood there, showing no emotion.<p>

"Let the battle begin!" The referee said to the battlers.

"Delta, let's rock!" Webb yelled as he threw a Pokéball to the field.

In a flash of light, a Beedrill appeared in the air, zipping around in a hyperactive fashion.

He then pulled out the five other Pokéballs and threw them to the side.

In a large flash, a Typhlosion, an Espeon, a Raichu, a Garchomp, and a Gardevoir appeared next to him.

"Alright, guys! Watch as I take this guy down!" He said in a cool manner. His Pokémon cheered confidently.

"Infernape, now, come forth!" Ryan said emotionlessly as he threw a ball with a space pattern on it into the air.

In a flash of blue light, the Flame Pokémon appeared.

"Okay, Delta, let's get this battle started with Twineedle!" Webb ordered.

Delta then swiftly flew towards Infernape, its stingers sharp and ready.

"Infernape, use Brick Break!" Ryan commanded.

Infernape's hand turned white and then it swung it at the stingers. Sparks flew and then the two broke apart.

"Delta, use Sludge Bomb!" Webb instructed.

One of Delta's stingers glowed dark purple. It then brought its arms forward and released a purple blast at Infernape.

"Dodge it," Ryan said simply.

Infernape swiftly dodge the sludge, which exploded as it hit the ground.

"Use Blast Burn!" Ryan yelled.

"Delta, spin!" Webb shouted.

Infernape unleashed a fiery cyclone of exploding flame at the Poison Bee Pokémon. However, Delta then began twirling horizontally, like a top, dodging the attack completely.

"Delta, use Hyper Beam while it can't move!" Webb commanded.

Delta then blasted a pale pink beam of energy surrounded by white energy at the immobile Fire/Fighting-type Pokémon. Infernape smirked and took the blast head-on.

A cloud of black smoke erupted. As the smoke cleared, Infernape was still standing with that same smirk on its face.

"ThunderPunch!" Ryan ordered.

Infernape's fist was surrounded by yellow electricity as it jumped towards Delta. It then punched it down to the ground. Everyone could see several sparks coursing through Delta's body as it lay knocked out on the ground.

"Beedrill is unable to battle! Infernape is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"That guy is strong!" Dawn said in awe.<p>

"Hmm," Gavin said, pulling his sunglasses down over his eyes. The sunglasses computer activated and Gavin scanned the dark trainer.

'_I wonder…_,' Gavin thought, pondering a new thought.

* * *

><p>Webb returned Delta to its ball and then said, "Thanks, Delta. You were awesome."<p>

He then turned to his Pokémon and said, "Storm, you're up!"

The Espeon then ran to the field. It stood ready for battle.

"Infernape, use Hone Claws," Ryan told his Pokémon.

A glint appeared in Infernape's eyes. Its hands then lit up in a black energy momentarily before disappearing.

"Storm, use Psychic!" Webb ordered.

Storm's eyes glowed blue and then Infernape's body was outlined by a blue energy.

"Now, lift it into the air!" Webb commanded.

Infernape was then lifted into the air by a mysterious energy. It struggled to break free, but Storm's Psychic power was too strong.

"Finish it with Psybeam!" Webb instructed.

The red gem on Storm's forehead shone and then it released a multicolored beam from it at Infernape. Infernape cried out in pain and was then dropped to the ground, knocked out by Storm's power.

"Infernape is unable to battle! Espeon is the winner!"

Ryan then recalled Infernape and said to it, "Thank you for your help, Infernape. Rest now."

He then took out another ball of the same design pattern, threw it into the air, and yelled, "Lucario, now, come forth!"

In a flash, the Aura Pokémon appeared on the field, prepared for battle.

* * *

><p>"Whoa, he has a Lucario!" May said in awe.<p>

"Yeah," Ash said, staring at the Pokémon. It was similar to his Lucario in looks, but something was different about it.

* * *

><p>"Storm, come back!" Webb said, calling back his Pokémon. Storm ran back over beside its trainer.<p>

"Rex, go and rock this battle!" Webb said ecstatically. The Typhlosion nodded and then ran onto the field.

"Rex, use Lava Plume!" Webb directed.

Rex caused an explosion around it, creating a mix of smog and fire that covered the area. Lucario was hit by the flames and hurt slightly.

"Dark Pulse!" Ryan shouted.

Lucario then blasted a barrage of shadowy rings at Rex.

"Use Flame Wheel to block it!" Webb yelled.

Rex's body became engulfed in flames. The rings fell off of the flames harmlessly.

"Now, Rex, use Flamethrower!" Webb commanded.

"Psychic!" Ryan ordered.

Lucario then held out its paws and caused the Flamethrower to explode and dissipate.

"Finish it with Eruption!" Webb instructed.

The flames on Rex's back lit up and then it fired an intense geyser of red-orange flame at Lucario.

'_Time to stop the Illusion_,' Ryan thought with a smirk. "Night Daze!"

An evil grin appeared on Lucario's face. It then sent out a crimson shockwave that destroyed the geyser and knocked Rex to the ground.

"But how?" Webb said with a shocked expression. "Lucario can't learn Night Daze!"

"Reveal yourself, Zoroark!" Ryan shouted.

A pink glow engulfed Lucario's body and after the light stopped, another Pokémon was in its place. It was a bipedal foxlike creature with grayish-brown fur, a mane that was purple in color, and purple claws.

* * *

><p>"So, it wasn't a Lucario?" May said in a surprised tone.<p>

"No, it's a shiny Zoroark!" Max exclaimed.

* * *

><p>"A Zoroark?" Webb said with a slightly frightened expression on his face. He then shook it off and yelled, "It doesn't matter! Rex, use Eruption!"<p>

Rex fired another geyser of flame at Zoroark, to which it dodged.

"Use Flamethrower!" Ryan commanded.

Zoroark fired a stream of flame at the geyser, however, the Eruption proved too powerful, breaking through and knocking the Illusion Fox Pokémon down to the ground into unconsciousness.

"Zoroark is unable to battle! Typhlosion is the winner!"

Ryan then recalled Zoroark, but strangely enough, he had a smirk on his face.

"Well, you're better than I thought, but let's see how you fare against the real Lucario! Now, come forth!" He yelled as he threw a third space-themed Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of blue light, the true Aura Pokémon appeared. It then prepared to fight.

"Use Aura Sphere!" Ryan ordered.

Lucario then fired a blue ball of aura at the Volcano Pokémon. Before it could react, it had been knocked out.

"Typhlosion is unable to battle! Lucario is the winner!"

Webb then recalled his Pokémon. He turned to Storm and nodded. Storm understood and ran straight onto the field.

"Storm, use Confuse Ray!" Webb instructed.

Storm's body glowed gold momentarily, and it then shot a barrage of golden orbs at Lucario.

"Lucario, don't move. Just sit and wait," Ryan directed.

Lucario dizzily nodded and kneeled onto the ground. It closed its eyes and tuned into the aura.

"Storm, use Bite!" Webb shouted.

Storm then ran towards Lucario and bit it onto Lucario's tail. Lucario growled in pain.

"Iron Tail!" Webb yelled.

Storm's tail glowed metallically as it jumped into the air, did a flip, and then struck Lucario in the back.

"Now, finish it off with Psybeam!" Webb ordered.

Espeon then shot a multicolored beam from its forehead at Lucario. It was engulfed in multicolored light. It looked like Storm had won, but then, suddenly, after the light faded, Lucario opened its eyes and grinned.

"What?" Webb said in surprise.

"Your Psybeam's confusion effect cancelled out Lucario's confusion," Ryan explained. "Now, Lucario, get to it with ExtremeSpeed!"

Lucario ran at Storm with unbelievable speed. It stopped right in front of a shocked Storm.

"Metal Claw," Ryan said with smile.

Lucario's forearm spikes turned into glowing claws, which it used to slash at Storm. Storm was knocked back towards Webb, landing on the ground in front of him. There were swirls in its eyes.

"Espeon is unable to battle! Lucario is the winner! The victory goes to Ryan!"

* * *

><p>The crowd cheered as the two competitors walked off the field. And not just for Ryan. Webb had plenty of admirers swarming him for his impressive battling skills.<p>

"What a great battle!" Ash said ecstatically.

Suddenly, the group heard a voice over the loudspeakers say, "Will Ash Ketchum and Josh Prigmore please come down to the battlefield?"

"Guess I'm up," Ash said with a grin. He then looked down at Pikachu and said, "Pikachu, you stay here with May."

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu saluted, promptly moving to May's lap and sitting down happily in her arms.

"Good luck," May said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. There was a goofy grin on his face for a moment, then, as he headed down to the battlefield, it turned into a determined look.

* * *

><p>As Ash stepped onto the battlefield, he saw his opponent who stood across the field. Both looked ready to go.<p>

"Let the battle begin!" They heard the referee yelled.

"Pinbird-XIV, battle time! Appear!" Josh said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, a brown, bird-like creature with a vulturine neck, broad and powerful wings, a long and pointed pink beak, and a decorative red coxcomb on top of its head.

"A Fearow, huh?" Ash said, pondering for a moment. He then took out a Pokéball and threw it into the air, yelling, "Swellow, I choose you!"

In an instance, the large, blue Swallow Pokémon appeared in the air.

"Pinbird-XIV, Fly and then use Steel Wing!" Josh ordered.

Pinbird-XIV flew up into the air, and then started gliding towards Swellow; its wings glowed metallically as it flew straight towards Swellow.

"Swellow, use Double Team!" Ash commanded.

Swellow's body glowed white for a second, then it created multiple copies of itself. Pinbird-XIV flew through one of the copies, causing Swellow no harm.

"Now, use Wing Attack!" Ash instructed.

Swellow and the copies' wings glowed white as they flew at Pinbird-XIV.

"Use Hyper Beam in a stream-line!" Josh directed.

Pinbird-XIV opened its beak and fired a pale pink beam of energy surrounded by white energy at the copies in a streaming motion, destroying the copies and then, Swellow.

"Swel-low!" Swellow cried out in pain as it plummeted to the ground.

"Swellow, return!" Ash yelled, holding out his Pokéball and shooting a red beam of light out of it, causing Swellow to disappear.

"Take a good rest, buddy," Ash said, smiling as he put the Pokéball back on his belt. "I'll use you later."

He then took out another Pokéball, threw it into the air, and yelled, "Kingler, I choose you!"

In a flash of light, Ash's large crab Pokémon appeared onto the battlefield.

* * *

><p>"Why would Ash use Kingler?" Max asked. "It can't fly!"<p>

"Maybe so, but I think Ash has a strategy for it in this battle," Gavin said with a knowing look.

* * *

><p>"Pinbird-XIV, use Drill Peck!" Josh commanded.<p>

Pinbird-XIV's beak spun like a drill as it torpedoed down towards the Pincer Pokémon.

"Kingler, use Harden!" Ash instructed.

Kingler's body flashed white and shone, its armor now toughened up. When Pinbird-XIV struck Kingler with its beak, it did little to no damage.

"Now, use Crabhammer!" Ash ordered.

Kingler then struck the bird with its glowing claw, knocking Pinbird-XIV down to the ground. A cloud of dust was created, and when it cleared, the Beak Pokémon was seen to have been knocked out.

"Fearow is unable to battle! Kingler is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"Alright, Ash! You can win this!" May yelled from the stands.<p>

Gavin then turned towards Dawn and whispered, "So, if Ash and her ever get married, will I have to be related to her somehow?"

Dawn didn't laugh, but had an amused look on her face.

* * *

><p>Josh then recalled his Pokémon and grinned, yelling over to Ash, "Good job! This is shaping out to be a great battle! But let's see if you can handle this next one! Rocko-XIV, battle time! Appear!"<p>

In a flash of light, an amazing sight appeared in front of Josh. Ash identified this Pokémon to be a Golem, but this one was different from other Golem. It was two different shades of gold with white-colored claws, but it still had red eyes like regular Golem.

"Rocko-XIV, use Brick Break!" Josh instructed.

Rocko-XIV rolled over towards Kingler, jumped into the air, and then, with a glowing white arm, struck down on Kingler. Even with Harden still in effect, the attack caused a good amount of damage.

"Kingler, use BubbleBeam!" Ash directed.

Foam appeared from Kingler's mouth and then it fired a multitude of blue bubbles at the Megaton Pokémon, who stumbled back in pain.

"Use Stone Edge!" Josh shouted.

Three light blue rings surrounded Rocko-XIV's body. The rings then glowed white and formed into chunks of gray stones. Its eyes then glowed red and it fired the stones at Kingler, who sat there and took the attack.

"Now, finish it with Rock Climb!" Josh yelled.

Rocko-XIV's claws glowed white and grew longer. Then, it slammed them on the ground, causing a pillar of rock to protrude from the ground that lifted Kingler high into the air. It soon began climbing up towards a trapped Kingler.

"Kingler, stop it with Hyper Beam!" Ash commanded.

Kingler then fired a beam of pale pink energy surrounded by white energy down at Rocko-XIV. It was a direct hit, but Rocko-XIV took the hit and continued to climb as the beam struck it. It then tackled Kingler, causing the pillar to collapse into the ground, creating a fog of dust.

After the dust cleared, it could be seen that both Pokémon had been knocked out.

"Neither Pokémon is able to battle! This round is declared a draw!"

Ash then returned Kingler to its ball and looked at his remaining two Pokémon's balls.

'_Swellow is hurt, but I don't want to use my final one yet. Something tells me that Josh's last one is his strongest,_' Ash thought, putting the third ball back onto his belt. He then threw the other ball into the air and yelled, "Swellow, come on out!"

Instantly, the Swallow Pokémon rematerialized in front of him. Swellow looked a bit injured, but it still looked raring to fight.

Josh then took out a Pokéball. He had a growing grin on his face. He then threw the ball into the air and shouted, "Goliath, battle time! Appear!"

In a flash of light, an amazing sight appeared before the stadium. It was a Heracross, much like the one Ash had back at Professor Oak's lab, but the coloring of this one was different than normal. Instead of the usual blue, this Heracross was red everywhere except for its eyes and claws. It claws were the normal yellow color, but its claws were jet black.

"Goliath here is my first Pokémon and my strongest," Josh said proudly. "He won't go down very easily."

"Well, then," Ash said with a grin, "I guess that this'll be a good battle then. One that I intend to win. Swellow, use Quick Attack!"

Swellow took off into the air and began speeding towards Goliath. A white trail of light could be seen following it as it flew.

"Goliath, Acrobatics!" Josh ordered.

Goliath's wings came out of its back, and then it began nimbly flying around until it struck Swellow in the back, sending it hurtling towards the earth.

"Now, use Force Palm!" Josh instructed.

A white ball formed in Goliath's palm. It then fired a white blast from it at Swellow, causing a great deal of harm to it.

"Swellow, Aerial Ace!" Ash commanded.

Swellow then began torpedoing towards Goliath, its body surrounded by white streaks.

"Finish it with Cross Chop!" Josh shouted.

Goliath's arms glowed as it crossed them, forming an "X." It then struck Swellow as it came. Swellow was knocked to the ground, completely knocked out.

"Swellow is unable to battle! Heracross is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"But how?" Max complained. "Heracross aren't supposed to be able to learn those moves!"<p>

"It must be a special case," Brock said, not surprised. "We once met a Heatran that could use Eruption back in the Sinnoh Region."

"Some Pokémon are just special that way," Gary agreed.

* * *

><p>Ash then returned Swellow to its ball. Not only was that Heracross a different color, it knew moves that it wasn't supposed to be able to learn! Ash knew that he was gonna have to pull out all of the stops to win this one. Luckily, he had just the Pokémon to do it.<p>

"Quilava, I choose you!" He yelled as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of blue, the Volcano Pokémon appeared on the field in front of him. Quilava stood on all fours, looking determined as the flame on its head and the flame on its rear had lit up.

"A Quilava, eh? This should be a good battle!" Josh said excitedly. "Goliath, use Megahorn!"

Goliath's horn glowed bright white as it flew towards Quilava.

"Quilava, dodge it with Aerial Ace!" Ash shouted.

Quilava jumped into the air, its body now surrounded by white streaks that were similar to the ones that had surrounded Swellow earlier. Quilava easily dodged Goliath's attack, now behind it.

"Use Flame Wheel!" Ash commanded.

Quilava rolled up into a ball and began rolling towards Goliath, its body now surrounded by flames.

"Dodge it!" Josh yelled. It was too late, however, as Goliath got caught in the chest by Quilava's attack when it turned around. Goliath was knocked into a rock on the field, and now was a bit hurt, but it got up and looked like it could still fight.

"Alright! Goliath, use Focus Punch!" Josh ordered.

One of Goliath's arms glowed a light blue as it rushed towards Quilava.

"Quilava, stop it with Extrasensory!" Ash instructed.

Quilava's eyes glowed gold, and it shot a multicolored circular beam from its paw at Goliath, stopping its movements entirely.

"Now, use Crush Claw!" Ash directed.

Quilava's eyes stopped glowing, and before Goliath could react, it rushed right towards it with glowing blue claws. Goliath was slashed and knocked back a few feet.

"Finish it off with Eruption!" Ash shouted.

Quilava ran towards Goliath and threw it into the air with its back. It then shot a geyser of red-orange fire at the airborne Single Horn Pokémon, sending it higher into the sky. When it finally came back down, Goliath's body smashed into the ground, and the Pokémon itself had been knocked out.

"Heracross is unable to battle! Quilava is the winner! The victory goes to Ash!"

* * *

><p>A smile appeared on Ash's face as he ran towards his Pokémon and hugged it. Luckily for him, Quilava had turned off its flames.<p>

Ash then saw Josh walk up with a beaten-up Goliath. Josh held out his hand and said, "Thanks for the awesome battle. If anyone had to knock me out, I'm glad that it was you."

Ash took it and said, "You, too. That was a great battle."

* * *

><p>And as the two shook hands, so did their Pokémon. The crowd cheered, having witnessed an awesome battle.<p>

"It's now time for our last battle of the day! Will Mario Garcon and Tara please come down to the battlefield?"

As Ash walked back to the stands, he passed by Mario.

"Good luck," Ash said, shaking his hand.

"Thanks, Ash," Mario said, looking ready for the battle.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, Ash was back in his seat with May now lovingly resting her head on his shoulder while Mario and his opponent stood opposite of each other on the field.<p>

Suddenly, a Pokéball opened up on Mario's belt, and a small, red, octopus-like creature sat beside him.

"Am I to fight in this battle, Mario?" The Octillery asked in perfect English.

"At some point, Neptune, but not yet," Mario answered as if this was nothing new.

The only one to notice this exchange was a certain talking Meowth.

"Let the battle begin!" The referee announced.

"Banette, Phase 1, Part 1!" Tara said distantly as she threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, a black, humanoid doll-like creature with red eyes, a yellow brush-like tail, and a yellow zipper for a mouth appeared in front of her.

"Booger, on the court!" Mario shouted as he threw a ball to the field.

In an instant, a large rock with small, round eyes, a large red nose and hat, and a bushy, black mustache-like formation under its nose. It also had three little light gray stones on its sides and back that looked like miniature versions of its previous evolution.

* * *

><p>"His Probopass's name is 'Booger?'" Ash and Max said, cracking up with the other guys and male Pokémon. The girls looked at them like they were children or something.<p>

* * *

><p>"Booger, use Smack Down!" Mario commanded.<p>

A golden orb of energy began to form in front of Booger's forehead.

"Banette, use Thief!" Tara instructed.

Banette then suddenly flew at Booger and took the golden orb away from it.

"Wait, what?" Mario said, really confused.

Banette now stood in front of Tara, holding Booger's attack in its hand.

"Banette, return!" Tara said, holding her Pokéball out and causing the Marionette Pokémon to disappear into it.

"Huh?" Mario said out loud. '_I thought that she was supposed to be some sort of master strategist. Why'd she do that?_'

"Palpitoad, Phase 1, Part 2!" Tara yelled as she threw another Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, the medium-sized Vibration Pokémon appeared onto the field in front of her.

"Use Muddy Water!" Tara ordered.

A wave of brown, muddy water came from Palpitoad and started heading towards Booger.

"Booger, stop it with Ice Punch!" Mario directed.

One of the Mini-Noses then launched off of Booger's body and shot towards the wave of mud-drenched water. It glowed light blue and then went through the water and then flew right back to Booger. The water froze completely.

"Palpitoad, Earth Power!" Tara shouted.

Palpitoad's body began to glow goldenly and then, the earth around it started to shake and crack up.

"Booger, quick, Magnet Rise!" Mario yelled.

Booger's body was outlined in yellow as it suddenly rose up into the air, avoiding the Ground-type attack.

"Palpitoad, return!" Tara said as she surprisingly returned Palpitoad to its ball.

"What is the human female up to, Mario?" Neptune asked.

"Banette, Phase 1, Part 3!" Tara said as she threw a Pokéball into the air, causing the Ghost-type to reappear to battle once again.

"I don't know," Mario replied to his Pokémon's query. Then, he noticed something in Banette's hand. The Smack Down from earlier.

"Banette, throw it and use Dark Pulse!" Tara commanded.

Banette chuckled as it threw the golden orb at the airborne Booger and fired a barrage of shadowy circles at it to power it up. The attack hit Booger and exploded, knocking it back down to the ground.

"Banette, finish it with Thunder!" Tara ordered.

Banette then held up one of its arms and fired a powerful yellow electric blast at Booger. Booger was electrocuted, and in turn, knocked out.

"Probopass is unable to battle! Banette is the winner!"

Mario then returned Booger to its ball and said, "Thank you. Take a nice break."

He then took out another Pokéball and threw it into the air, yelling, "Skuntank, on the court!"

In a flash of blue, a large, purple-and-cream-colored skunk-like creature appeared onto the field.

"Skuntank, use Flamethrower!" Mario directed.

Skuntank opened its mouth and fired a stream of intense flames at Banette.

"Banette, return!" Tara said, returning it just in time before the fire hit it.

"Hey! What was that?" Mario said, a little annoyed.

"Illumise, Phase 2, part 1!" Tara yelled as she threw another ball to the field.

In a flash of light, the female firefly appeared in the air.

Mario growled and then shouted, "Skuntank, Poison Gas!"

"Illumise, Sweet Scent!" Tara instructed.

Two gases of different smells collided in mid-air, cancelling each other out.

"Skuntank, use Flamethrower!" Mario commanded.

Skuntank once again released a stream of flame, this time at the Firefly Pokémon.

"Illumise, dodge and use Attract!" Tara ordered.

Illumise gracefully dodged the flame and then shot multiple pink hearts at Skuntank. The hearts circled Skuntank and then went into it. Suddenly, Skuntank's eyes were large, pink hearts.

"No! Skuntank!" Mario shouted in distress.

"Use Giga Drain!" Tara directed.

Illumise then fired a green beam of energy at that wrapped around the infatuated Skuntank and absorbed a great deal of energy.

"Now, Baton Pass! Palpitoad, Phase 2, Part 2! Earth Power!" Tara suddenly yelled.

Illumise suddenly disappeared into its ball and Palpitoad appeared in its place. Because both were female, Skuntank was still infatuated when Palpitoad used its earth-shattering attack. Skuntank was immediately knocked out.

"Skuntank is unable to battle! Palpitoad is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"Oh, no! Mario only has one Pokémon left!" May said in fear.<p>

"While Tara still has all three," Ash said with a nod.

"He's gonna have to figure something out, fast," Walker said with a drop of sweat on his brow.

* * *

><p>"Neptune, you're my last hope," Mario said to the Jet Pokémon beside him.<p>

"I will do my best," Neptune said as it crawled onto the field.

"Palpitoad, return!" Tara said, returning the Pokémon to its ball. She then took out another ball, threw it into the air and yelled, "Banette, Phase 3, Part 1!"

In a flash of light, the Marionette Pokémon appeared onto the field once again.

"Banette, use Dark Pulse!" Tara ordered.

Banette fired a barrage of shadowy circles at Neptune.

"Flamethrower, Neptune!" Mario commanded.

"Caliente!" Neptune yelled as it fired a stream of flame out of its mouth. The two attacks collided and fizzled out.

"Neptune, Lock-On!" Mario instructed.

"Locking on!" Neptune said as it fired a red ring at Banette. A red target stuck onto Banette's chest. "Target acquired."

"Flash Cannon!" Mario directed.

"Say hello to my little friend!" Neptune said as he fired a silver beam of energy at Banette.

"Use Thunder!" Tara shouted.

Banette shot a blast of yellow electricity from its hand at Neptune's attack, but the Flash Cannon just swirled around it, combined with it and then hit Banette. The power of the attack knocked Banette out.

"Banette is unable to battle! Octillery is the winner!"

Tara then returned Banette to its ball, took out another one, threw it and yelled, "Palpitoad, Phase 3, Part 2!"

Palpitoad appeared on the field, looking a bit irritated.

"Palpitoad, use Mud Shot!" Tara ordered.

Palpitoad stuck out its long tongue and its tongue started to glow yellow. It swung its tongue from one side to another and shot a bunch of balls of mud were shot from it as the glow faded.

"Use your own Mud Shot!" Mario commanded.

Neptune fired a blast of mud balls at Palpitoad's attack and the two attacks cancelled each other out.

"Finish it with Bullet Seed!" Mario instructed.

Neptune fired a blast of high velocity yellow-green seeds at Palpitoad, knocking it out before it could react.

"Palpitoad is unable to battle! Octillery is the winner!"

Soon, after recalling Palpitoad, Tara threw a ball into the air, yelling, "Illumise, Phase 3, Part 3!"

The Firefly Pokémon flew around in the air, ready to fight.

"Use Giga Drain!" Tara ordered.

Illumise fired a green energy beam at Neptune, wrapping it and beginning to absorb its energy.

"AHHHH!" Neptune cried out in pain.

"Neptune! Use Lock-On!" Mario shouted.

Neptune struggled against the green tendril, but managed to fire the red ring at Illumise. A target mark appeared onto its chest.

"Now, Flamethrower!" Mario commanded.

"Caliente!" Neptune yelled as it released a stream of flame at a shocked Illumise. It was super-effective, knocking it out completely.

"Illumise is unable to battle! Octillery is the winner! The victory goes to Mario!"

* * *

><p>The crowd cheered after such an epic battle. Mario and Tara shook hands, both having enjoyed this awesome battle.<p>

"Thank you for watching our battles today! Please enjoy the rest of the afternoon and we'll see you again tomorrow!" Mr. Battrio said to the crowd.

* * *

><p>Ash and the others walked back to the Pokémon Center to enjoy a nice, well-deserved meal. Little did they know that they were being watched by someone that was hiding in the bushes.<p>

"So, Ash Ketchum, after such a long time, I see you again," A voice said quietly from underneath a hood. "You sure changed from that inexperienced ten-year-old that I used to know. Hopefully, I'll be able to battle you at some point in this tournament."

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 31: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 2: Round One Heats Up!"<span>_- The first four battles of round one are done, now we get to see the next four, including Gavin's battle! Will Gavin be able to win and move onto round two? Plus, the mystery of the thirty-second competitor continues! You'll have to wait and see what happens!

**What'll happen next? You'll have to wait and see! Read And Review!**

**By the way, I have decided to do only four battles per chapter. People would have to wait too long for a super long chapter. This week is my last week of school for the semester, so I start ****Winter Break in about a week! With the exception of exams, that is. So, I'll be able to write and update more often. If I have the time, I might even do a Christmas special! After the tournament ends, however.**

**I had to add some moves to some of the OC's Pokemon by the way, because I wanted to make the battles even better!  
><strong>

**I must at this point offer my sincerest of apologies to the anonymous creator of Blake, sithlorde1988, Darkiceflame, and ****Webbzilla. The battles were completely randomized, and the winners of the battles were not based on favoritism or anything else like that whatsoever! I wish that you could all have won, but unfortunately, that's how the story worked out in my head. Your OCs will still be featured in the story, but I'm sorry that you were knocked out so early. However, I want everyone to know that no matter how much you want to win, this is my story, and I will write things my way. The tournament has already been planned out, at least tourney-chart-wise. So, please do not be angry, as I am actually offering you a special chance for your OCs to return as frequent characters in my story's sequel! Yes, everyone who submitted an OC will get that chance if you would like. However, we'll get to that when the time comes.  
><strong>

**The sequel has a name, but I'm not going to tell you all yet! MWHAHAHAHAHA! Well, actually, I don't even know when it's going to come out yet. Hopefully sometime next year, along with another sequel after! So stay tuned for that!**

**Anyways, there is one thing I can tell everyone! This January, I will be beginning a special movie fanfic for PLOU! It will be set as a seperate story on the site, but it is to be the ****first movie for this fanfic! Details are fuzzy at best, but the title will be: "PLOU Movie 1: Kyurem and the Hero's Sword!" What's gonna happen? You'll have to wait and see! So, until next time!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Here's the long-awaited new chapter! Hope ya like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.  
><strong>

Chapter_ 31: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 2: Round One Heats Up!"_

(Flashback)

_"And there you have it!" Mr. Battrio said to the crowds. "Here are the first-round match-ups of the Kafue Town Battle Tournament!"_

_ "Hydreigon is unable to battle! Golurk is the winner! The victory goes to Maris O'Conner!" _

_ "Espeon is unable to battle! Lucario is the winner! The victory goes to Ryan!"_

_ "Heracross is unable to battle! Quilava is the winner! The victory goes to Ash!"_

_ "Illumise is unable to battle! Octillery is the winner! The victory goes to Mario!"_

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>Gavin breathed slowly as he meditated upon a rock in the Kafue Town Park in the early morning. Sitting beside him was Pichu, who was mimicking him, as always.<p>

Several different thoughts were going through Gavin's mind at the moment, two more specifically: Back in Denote Town, when Jeremiah said, "I know why you're here," how much did the mysterious trainer actually know? And just why was Walker here at a time like this?

"Hey, Gavin!" He suddenly heard a familiar voice call out. Gavin opened his eyes. Speak of the Jigglypuff, his old rival was running up to him with his female Aipom on his shoulder.

"Meditating again as always, I see," Walker said with a smirk.

"Walker, why are you here?" Gavin asked.

"Just wanted to wish you good luck in your battle today," Walker said, attempting to sound nonchalant.

However, Gavin just raised an eyebrow and said, "Really?"

"Okay, you got me," Walker said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head with his hand. Then, his expression turned serious when he said, "I needed to speak to you privately. It's about your mission."

Gavin's expression suddenly was full of fear. He looked a bit nervous and then said, "Uh…what mission?"

Now it was Walker's turn to raise an eyebrow. Gavin sighed and then said in a hushed tone, "How do you know about it?"

"Well, I don't know the full details on it, but _they_ sent me to get an update on your status," Walker said, carefully making sure no one was listening.

"They sent _you_?" Gavin said, mock incredulously.

"Ha-ha-ha, very funny," Walker said sarcastically. "But seriously, I need the details."

"We met up with them back in Grenia Cove," Gavin said in a serious tone. "I think they managed to get one of the crystals. So far, that's all I know."

"So when are you going to tell the others?" Walker asked.

Gavin looked guilty. The others trusted him, especially Dawn, but if they found out why he really came to Pallet Town that day, they might reject him and he might lose Dawn forever.

"Not yet," Gavin said as he looked at Pichu, who looked just as fearful as he did. "I don't know how it happened, but things have changed completely."

"What do you mean?" Walker asked.

"Well, I never thought that I'd actually…fall in love with Dawn," Gavin admitted.

"IN LOVE?" Walker said in complete shock. "Dude, you're in too deep! This could jeopardize the mission completely!"

"It won't," Gavin said sincerely. "I don't care you think about it, but I love her, and there's nothing that you can do about it!"

Walker sighed, pinching the sides of his nose in slight anger.

"I could take over the mission if you want," Walker offered, still a bit angry, but calming down.

"No," Gavin said with a stern face. "This is my fight. Those thugs will pay for what they did. You can count on it."

* * *

><p>Later, Gavin, Walker, and their Pokémon met up with the others and they all began to walk towards the stadium for the day's battles, one of which was Gavin's first round battle.<p>

"You're going to do great," Dawn said with her hand intertwined with the brown-haired trainer's.

"Thanks," Gavin said, smiling at her lovingly. The two leaned in for a kiss, but forgot that a certain Pichu was sitting in between them on the boy's shoulder.

"PI-CHU! Pi-chu-pi-chu-chu-pi-chu!" Pichu said, angrily wiping the kisses off of his cheeks. ("Aww, gross! I'm gonna be washing my face for a week!")

* * *

><p>"Welcome back, everyone to the second day of the Kafue Town Battle Tournament!" Mr. Battrio said over the loudspeaker. "Today, we will be holding the next four battles of Round One!"<p>

The crowd cheered in excitement and anticipation of the upcoming battles.

"Now, without further ado, we shall begin the first match between Kyle J Chang and Mike McHarrot!"

* * *

><p>Soon enough, the two trainers both stood opposite of each other on the battlefield. While Kyle looked confident with his Espeon by his side, Mike looked a bit nervous.<p>

"Let the battle begin!" The referee announced.

"Typhlosion, go get 'em!" Kyle said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, the large Volcano Pokémon appeared on the field. The flames on its back lit up as it showed off its power to the crowd.

"Nidoqueen, get ready!" Mike said, his voice cracking slightly as he tossed a ball to the field.

Immediately, a large, blue, tailed bipedal creature landed with a thud on the field. It had a thick tail and mouse-like ears, spikes running down the length of its back, and a horn on its forehead. Its lower jaw, chest-plates, and lower torso were cream-colored.

"Typhlosion, start off with Flamethrower!" Kyle commanded.

Typhlosion opened its mouth and released a stream of flame at the Drill Pokémon.

"Nidoqueen, use Protect!" Mike instructed.

A green energy sphere surrounded Nidoqueen, blocking the flames completely.

"Now, fire a Toxic!" Mike ordered.

Nidoqueen opened its mouth and shot a thick purple liquid at Typhlosion.

"Dodge it and then use Flame Wheel!" Kyle directed.

Typhlosion ran, dodging the acidic liquid that seemed to dissolve a little bit of the field. Flames then surrounded its body as it ran at Nidoqueen.

"Use Iron Tail!" Mike shouted.

Nidoqueen's tail glowed metallically as it swung it at the oncoming Fire-type Johto Starter. Sparks flew as the two attacks collided, and then, they broke apart.

"Nidoqueen, use Earthquake!" Mike yelled.

Nidoqueen lifted its tail and then brought it down on the ground, causing the earth to shake and Typhlosion to stumble and lose its balance.

"Now use Ice Punch!" Mike told his Pokémon.

Nidoqueen stomped over towards Typhlosion and punched it with an icy, light blue fist. A little bit of ice froze onto Typhlosion.

"Typhlosion, use Cut!" Kyle ordered.

Typhlosion shook its head to reinvigorate itself and then, with a glowing claw, slashed at Nidoqueen. It didn't look like it caused much damage, though.

"Nidoqueen, use Crunch!" Mike commanded.

Nidoqueen then moved in towards Typhlosion and bit down hard onto one of its arms. Typhlosion snarled in pain.

"Typhlosion, knock it off with Fire Punch!" Kyle instructed.

Typhlosion's fist that wasn't attached to the arm being bitten lit up into flames and then, Typhlosion swung it at Nidoqueen and punched it in the gut. It hurt Nidoqueen so much that it let go of Typhlosion and stumbled back a few feet.

"Now, finish it off with Blast Burn!" Kyle yelled.

Typhlosion's flames grew larger and it then opened its mouth and released a cyclone of exploding flame at its opponent. Nidoqueen got caught in the full blast and was knocked out.

"Nidoqueen is unable to battle! Typhlosion is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"Wow, that Kyle kid is pretty good," Walker said, impressed.<p>

"I wonder what the other guy is going to bring out," Iris pondered.

* * *

><p>Mike recalled Nidoqueen and then pulled out another Pokéball and threw it into the air, shouting, "Leafeon, get ready!"<p>

In a flash of light, a Verdant Pokémon not unlike Gavin's appeared on the field.

"Typhlosion, return!" Kyle said, holding out the Pokémon's ball. Typhlosion disappeared in a red light. "I know that you could beat it, but I want to give some of my other Pokémon a try."

He then looked down at the Espeon beside him and said, "You wanna battle, girl?"

Espeon nodded and ran out onto the field. She looked ready to battle.

"Leafeon, use Work Up!" Mike instructed.

Leafeon's body was momentarily surrounded by a red aura. The aura then disappeared.

"Now, use Quick Attack!" Mike ordered.

Leafeon then began running at Espeon at a high speed, its body taking on the same red aura from its Work Up. It then struck Espeon and knocked it back a few yards.

"Espeon, use Power Swap!" Kyle commanded.

Espeon's gem began to glow multicolored. The glow then shot out at the nearby Leafeon, enveloping its body in the glow. Suddenly, the red aura disappeared.

"What did you do to my Leafeon?" Mike demanded.

"Espeon used her Power Swap," Kyle simply said with sly grin. "It's a move that switches any changes in the user's Attack and Special Attack stats with the opponent's. So, now my Espeon has the heightened Attack power from your Leafeon's Work Up. Espeon, use Swift!"

Espeon then jumped, opened her mouth, and released a barrage of yellow stars at Leafeon. Her body took on a red aura as she did so. Leafeon stumbled back as yellow stars rained down upon it and caused it pain.

"Leafeon, use another Work Up!" Mike yelled.

Once again, Leafeon's body took on a red aura as it gained Attack power.

"What's that going to do?" Kyle asked.

"Oh, just wait and see," Mike said, looking slightly more confident. "Use Swords Dance!"

Leafeon's leaves then glowed and sharpened as it looked like it had gained a lot of strength.

"Leafeon, use Quick Attack to boost the speed of your X-Scissor!" Mike shouted.

Leafeon's body glowed red as it ran at Espeon at a fast pace. A light-blue "X"-shaped energy appeared in front of it as it ran at the Sun Pokémon.

"Espeon, dodge it!" Kyle told his Pokémon.

Espeon tried to run out of the way, but Leafeon was too quick, dealing her a fierce blow and sending her flying towards the wall. Espeon was knocked out as she struck the concrete.

"Espeon!" Kyle said with shock.

"Espeon is unable to battle! Leafeon is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"That poor Espeon," May said sadly.<p>

"I hope it's alright," Dawn said with worry.

Both of their handgrips tightened around their boyfriends' hands.

"OWWW!" Ash and Gavin both yelled out in pain.

* * *

><p>Kyle ran towards Espeon and picked her up into his arms.<p>

"You gonna be okay, Espeon?" Kyle asked softly.

Espeon weakly nodded. Kyle then walked back to his spot and placed Espeon carefully down beside him. He then took out a Pokéball and threw it into the air, yelling, "Typhlosion, go get 'em!"

In a flash of light, the Volcano Pokémon reappeared onto the field, its fire igniting once again.

"Leafeon, use Iron Tail!" Mike commanded.

Leafeon ran towards Typhlosion, jumped into the air, and then came down and struck it with its metallically-glowing tail. The attack had a lot of power behind it, causing Typhlosion more damage than it usually would. So, Typhlosion stumbled back a few feet.

"Now use Sunny Day!" Mike instructed.

A yellowish orb formed in front of Leafeon's mouth and then it fired it into the sky. The sun suddenly became intensely bright.

* * *

><p>"My eyes!" Max said as he covered his eyes.<p>

"And that's why I wear sunglasses," Gavin said, smugly wearing his shades.

"Give me those!" Dawn said, taking the shades off of his face and putting them onto her face.

"The light! It burns!" Gavin fake cried as he shielded his eyes from the blinding light.

"And I'll take this!" May said as she took Ash's hat off his head and then placing it onto hers.

"Ah, come on!" Ash said as he squinted so that he could see just barely.

The others were all trying to keep the sun out of their eyes, except for Brock, who was surprisingly unaffected.

"You just gotta get used to it!" Brock said with his squinted eyes.

* * *

><p>'<em>Hmm, he's most likely using this for a rapid-fire Solarbeam attack<em>,' Kyle thought, a smirk appearing on his face. '_Maybe I can use this sunlight to my advantage_.'

"Leafeon, use Solarbeam!" Mike instructed.

The leaves on Leafeon's body absorbed sunlight quickly and then it fired a yellow beam of light at Typhlosion.

"Typhlosion, use Fire Blast!" Kyle commanded.

Typhlosion spit flames out of its mouth at Leafeon. As they flew towards the Solarbeam, they took the form of a kanji symbol. The two extremely powerful attacks collided and created an explosion.

"Typhlosion, use Flame Charge!" Kyle ordered.

Typhlosion started running towards Leafeon, its body surrounded by intense flame.

"Leafeon, stop it with Solarbeam!" Mike yelled.

Leafeon immediately fired another solar blast at Typhlosion. However, even when it hit the flames, it seemed to do no damage to the Volcano Pokémon.

"Keep firing!" Mike said in great stress.

Leafeon continued to fire Solarbeam after Solarbeam at the oncoming Typhlosion, but the Fire-type still came and ran into it. Leafeon was knocked back across the field, landing in front of Mike completely unconscious.

"Leafeon is unable to battle! Typhlosion is the winner!"

Mike then returned Leafeon to its Pokéball and then brought out his third ball and threw it into the air, yelling, "Shuckle, get ready!"

In a flash of light, a creature with a red shell full of holes and yellow, noodle-like limbs and head appeared onto the field.

"Let's finish this! Typhlosion, use Eruption!" Kyle commanded.

Typhlosion shot a geyser of red-orange flame at the small Mold Pokémon.

"Shuckle, use Protect!" Mike instructed.

A green energy sphere surrounded Shuckle's body, protecting from the intense flame.

"Use Power Trick!" Mike yelled.

Shuckle's body glowed multicolored momentarily and then the glow faded. At that second, the effects of Sunny Day ceased, and the sun went back to normal.

* * *

><p>"Here you go, baby," Dawn said sweetly as she gave Gavin back his shades.<p>

"And here you go, Ashy," May said with puppy dog eyes as she handed Ash back his hat.

Ash and Gavin couldn't stay mad at them, but they were glad to have their signature wear back.

"So, what's Power Trick?" Iris asked.

"I remember it from the Sinnoh League," Brock said, remembering Ash and Conway's battle. "It switches the user's Attack and Defense stats. And with Shuckle's abnormally high Defense stat, it now has ultimate Attack power. Plus, Typhlosion doesn't have the Sunny Day to power up its Fire-type moves anymore."

* * *

><p>"Typhlosion, use Fire Punch on it while it's Defense is low!" Kyle ordered.<p>

Typhlosion's fist ignited into flames as it ran towards its opponent.

"Shuckle, use Rock Polish!" Mike shouted.

Shuckle's body glowed white and when the glowing faded, its shell was sparkling.

"Now, Rollout!" Mike directed.

Shuckle went inside of its shell and then began rolling at a surprisingly fast pace at Typhlosion. It then hit Typhlosion straight in the gut, and with its enormous Attack power, it knocked Typhlosion all of the way to the wall where Espeon had landed earlier. It was knocked out with swirls in its eyes.

"Typhlosion is unable to battle! Shuckle is the winner!"

Kyle then returned Typhlosion back to its ball and clipped the ball back onto his belt. Espeon looked up at him, its face giving off a concerned expression.

"Don't worry, girl," Kyle said, rubbing her head. "We can still win this."

He then took out another Pokéball and a determined expression appeared onto his face. He threw it into the air and yelled, "Dragonite, go get 'em!"

In a flash of blue, a large, orange dragon with small, green wings appeared on the field. It had a horn on its forehead, S-shaped yellow antennae, and a cream-colored, striated belly.

"Shuckle, use Sandstorm!" Mike shouted.

Sand began to shoot out of the holes of Shuckle's shell, creating a fierce sandstorm throughout the battlefield.

"Blow it away with Twister!" Kyle commanded.

Dragonite rapidly flapped its wings and created a tornado that blew the sand away before it could reach it.

"Now, use DragonBreath!" Kyle ordered.

Dragonite opened its mouth and blasted a green beam of air at its opponent.

"Shuckle, use Protect!" Mike said a bit timidly.

A green sphere started to form around Shuckle's body, but then it faltered and disappeared completely. A then-shocked Shuckle was hit by Dragonite's attack.

"Oh, no!" Mike said in shock. He had forgotten that Protect's chances of failing rise if used in succession.

"Dragonite, finish it off with Hyper Beam!" Kyle instructed.

Dragonite's eyes glowed white and a white ball appeared in front of its mouth. It then fired a beam of pink energy surrounded by white energy at Shuckle. The beam was so powerful and Shuckle's Defense was so low that it was knocked all of the way to the concrete wall behind Mike. Shuckle had been knocked out due to the impact.

"Shuckle is unable to battle! Dragonite is the winner! The victory goes to Kyle!"

* * *

><p>The crowd erupted into cheers as Kyle and Mike shook hands after that epic battle. Kyle was now the fifth person going onto the second round.<p>

"Will Gavin and Mike Carson come down to the battlefield?" The group suddenly heard over the loudspeaker.

Gavin stood up and Pichu jumped up onto his shoulder. He looked down at the others and said, "Alright, time to battle."

"Come back quick," Dawn said in a slightly seductive tone, giving the trainer a wink.

The others laughed as Gavin's face went bright red. He then slowly, but surely, turned around and started to make his way down to the battlefield.

* * *

><p>"Let the battle begin!"<p>

"Spike, rise to the field!" Mike Carson, Gavin's bandana-wearing opponent yelled as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

**(Note that in order to distinguish the two Mikes in this chapter, we'll be referring to this Mike as "Carson" from now on.)**

Instantaneously, a large and bulky, blue bipedal crocodilian creature appeared on the field. It had large, powerful, and toothy jaws, three sets of red spikes on its body, and a bisected, V-shaped yellow pattern on its belly.

"Fer-al-i-gatr!" The large Feraligatr roared, showing off its fierceness.

Gavin pondered for a moment and then slipped his sunglasses over his eyes. He took out a Pokéball, threw it into the air, and shouted, "Lickilicky, come on out!"

In a flash of blue light, the large and pink Licking Pokémon appeared onto the field, sticking its tongue out for a second before pulling it back into its mouth.

"Spike, start with Dragon Pulse!" Carson ordered.

A green ball of light appeared in front of Spike's mouth, and then the Big Jaw Pokémon fired it at Lickilicky.

"Lickilicky, block it with Gyro Ball!" Gavin instructed.

Lickilicky began to spin at a high speed, blocking the attack and causing it to hit the ground.

"Now, use Power Whip!" Gavin commanded.

Lickilicky's tongue glowed purple as it extended it and whipped it at Spike. Spike was struck and cried out in pain.

"Spike, retaliate with Shadow Claw!" Carson shouted.

A dark-purple aura that was in the shape of a sharp claw surrounded Spike's claw as it ran towards Lickilicky.

'_Doesn't he know Ghost-type moves don't affect Normal-types?_' Gavin thought, finding Carson's method a bit strange. "Lickilicky, get ready for a trick! Use Double Team!"

Lickilicky then multiplied into several Lickilicky, surrounding the Water-type.

"Perfect! Use Aqua Tail, Spike!" Carson said with a smirk.

Spike jumped and did a flip in the air, landing on a handstand. Then, water spirals started coming out of its tail, striking every single one of the Lickilicky, including the real one, who was knocked back several yards.

Lickilicky slowly got up, now looking a bit angry at its opponent.

"Lickilicky, use Knock Off!" Gavin directed.

Lickilicky lunged its extending tongue at Spike. Its tongue became surrounded by black sparks as it struck Spike to the ground.

After Spike managed to get up, one could see that it looked mad now as well.

"Spike, use Hydro Cannon!" Carson shouted.

Spike opened its mouth and a powerful blue orb of water appeared in front of it. It then launched it at Lickilicky.

"Lickilicky, stop it with Hyper Beam!" Gavin yelled.

Lickilicky opened its mouth and released a blast of pink energy surrounded by white energy. The two attacks collided and created a huge explosion.

Both Pokémon were panting after such an intense fight. However, they were both still able and willing to battle.

"Spike, use Hydro Pump!" Carson commanded.

The spikes on Spike's body began to glow a light red. Then, it opened its mouth and launched a powerful blast of water down the field.

It looked as if it was all over for Lickilicky, but then, Gavin suddenly had an idea.

"Lickilicky, use Defense Curl!" Gavin told his Pokémon.

Lickilicky curled its body into the ball just as the water began to hit it.

"Now Rollout into the Hydro Pump!" Gavin ordered.

* * *

><p>"What is he thinking?" Walker said with shock. "If Lickilicky does that, it might get knocked out!"<p>

"Is he stupid or something?" Max said, agreeing with Walker's previous statement.

Suddenly though, both of them were knocked out by Misty's mallet, which was in…Dawn's hands?

"Thanks for letting me borrow your mallet, Misty," Dawn said, handing the dreaded weapon back to the redhead.

"Anytime," Misty said with a grin.

"Uh, don't you think that that was a little harsh, Dawn?" Tracey said warily.

"Yeah, they did have a point," Gary added.

Soon, they too were knocked out, this time with the mallet being used by Misty. Iris and Cilan looked shocked at how violent some of Ash's old friends were.

* * *

><p>Lickilicky then began rolling at a high speed towards Spike as it body was still being hit by the blast of water. It then struck Spike in the gut and sent it flying towards the wall. Lickilicky hopped off after the two hit the wall. Spike, however, was knocked out with swirls in its eyes.<p>

"Feraligatr is unable to battle! Lickilicky is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"Oh, now I get it!" Brock exclaimed. "Gavin used Defense Curl in order to protect Lickilicky from most of Hydro Pump's damage!"<p>

"Yeah, and then, since Feraligatr couldn't move while using the attack, he used that opportunity to move in and strike it while it was vulnerable!" Misty added, impressed.

"That's my boyfriend!" Dawn said proudly.

While everyone else sweat dropped, Ash then turned towards May and whispered, "So, if Gavin and her ever get married, will I have to be related to her somehow?"

May didn't laugh, but she had an amused look on her face.

* * *

><p>Carson then returned Spike into its ball, and then took out another one and tossed it to the field, yelling, "Kite, rise to the field!"<p>

In a flash of light, a tan, mammalian ferret-like creature with four medium sized brown rings from its tail to the middle of its torso, smaller brown rings on each of its forepaws, cream-colored hind paws, two brown lines on each cheek, and cream-tipped ears. The top of its head was brown.

"Fur-ret!" The Furret cried out cutely.

"Lickilicky, return!" Gavin said, holding out the Pokémon's ball and recalling it back into it in a flash of red light. He then looked at the ball and said to it, "Take a good rest, Buddy. I'll use you again later."

He took out another ball, threw it into the air, and shouted, "Weavile, come on out!"

The black Sharp Claw Pokémon appeared onto the field, looking ready for a fight.

"Kite, use Shadow Ball!" Carson commanded.

A shadowy orb formed in between Kite's paws. It then launched the orb at Weavile.

"Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Gavin instructed.

Weavile jumped with great speed, avoiding the orb's impact on the ground.

"Now use Metal Claw!" Gavin ordered.

Weavile sped towards Kite and slashed at it with metallically-glowing claws.

"Kite, use Return!" Carson directed.

Before Weavile could jump out of the way, Kite began punching it repeatedly with great power. Weavile was knocked through the air a few yards back towards Gavin, but it luckily was able to flip around in the air and land gracefully.

"Kite, use Surf!" Carson shouted.

A wave of water erupted out from under Kite, and then it began surfing towards Weavile.

"Weavile, freeze the wave with Ice Shard!" Gavin yelled.

A light blue ball of ice formed in between its hands and it then launched at the water. As it hit the wave, the water completely froze over, causing Kite to become stuck.

"Kite, break free!" Carson said with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Weavile, use Dark Pulse!" Gavin commanded.

Kite tried to pull itself out, but to no avail. Weavile then launched a beam of purple circles from in between its hands at the ice, causing an explosion that shattered the ice and launched Kite back through the air, landing on the ground in front of Carson. Kite struggled to stand back up.

"Kite, use U-turn!" Carson ordered.

Kite then suddenly ran at a super-fast speed at Weavile, hitting it as it turned its body in U-shaped turn. Then, as Weavile slid back a few feet, Kite ran back to Carson and went straight back into its Pokéball.

* * *

><p>"Huh?" Tracey said, looking out of focus as he and the others who had been knocked out got back up. "Wh-what was that?"<p>

"I remember dat move!" Meowth exclaimed. "That's a move that Jessie taught her Swoobat!"

"Yeah, it's called U-turn," Cilan explained. "It's a move where the user strikes the opponent and then goes straight back to its Pokéball so that the trainer can switch it with another Pokémon."

"So what Pokémon is Carson going to bring out as a substitute?" Iris thought out loud.

* * *

><p>"Aura, rise to the field!" Carson shouted as he threw another Pokéball to the field.<p>

In a flash of light, a familiar-looking, black-and-blue, bipedal jackal-like creature appeared onto the field.

"Hrr!" The Lucario growled as it stepped into a fighting stance.

"Aura, use Metal Claw!" Carson yelled.

Aura then ran at Weavile, its forearm spikes now metallically glowing claws.

"Weavile, follow suit!" Gavin instructed.

Weavile's claws took on the same glow as Aura's, and then, the two began clashing, their claws creating sparks every time they struck one another.

"Aura, use Force Palm!" Carson commanded.

Before Weavile could do anything, Aura put its palm on Weavile's forehead and then fired a huge light green blast from its paw at it. Weavile was knocked back to Gavin's feet, now knocked out.

"Weavile is unable to battle! Lucario is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"Poor Weavile," Walker said with wide eyes.<p>

"Chu," Pikachu nodded from Ash's shoulder.

* * *

><p>Gavin recalled Weavile back to its Pokéball, saying to it, "Thank you, Weavile. Take a good rest."<p>

He took out another ball, threw it into the air, and shouted, "Lickilicky, come back on out!"

In a blue flash of light, the Licking Pokémon rematerialized in front of Gavin. It looked a bit weary from its last battle, but still looked able to fight.

"Aura, use Bone Rush!" Carson told his Pokémon.

A light green energy bone appeared in Aura's hands, and then, it ran towards Lickilicky, ready to strike.

"Lickilicky, use Power Whip!" Gavin commanded.

"Dodge and hit it!" Carson yelled.

Lickilicky whipped out its glowing-purple tongue at Aura, but Aura managed to dodge the tongue and then struck Lickilicky in the stomach with the bone. Lickilicky was knocked to the ground. One could see the swirls in its eyes.

"Lickilicky is unable to battle! Lucario is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"Oh, no," Ash said with gritted teeth. "Gavin only has one Pokémon left while Carson still has two."<p>

"It could still go either way, depending upon Gavin's last Pokémon, which hasn't seen battle yet," Brock said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Wait, what is Gavin's last Pokémon?" Max asked.

Everyone shrugged and then looked at Dawn.

"He didn't say," Dawn sheepishly admitted. "He told me about Lickilicky and Weavile, but he said that he wanted the last one to be a surprise."

"Huh?" The group said in unison.

* * *

><p>After Gavin returned Lickilicky to its ball, he took out another ball and tossed it into the air.<p>

"Fraxure, come on out!" He yelled as it opened up, revealing a bipedal, gray-and-green dragon-like creature with red-tipped tusks.

"Frax-ure!" It cried out, its cry full of strength.

* * *

><p>"B-b-but how?" Walker stammered.<p>

"When did Gavin's Axew evolve?" Ash thought out loud.

Everyone, even Dawn shrugged. None of them had even known anything about this.

* * *

><p>"Alright, Fraxure, let's see if your special training has paid off," Gavin said, grinning at his Pokémon. Fraxure returned the grin with a similar facial expression.<p>

"Fraxure, use Dual Chop!" Gavin commanded.

Fraxure's tusks glowed blue as it ran up towards Aura. It then struck it twice, once with each tusk, and sent Aura flying back towards Carson's side of the field.

"Now, use Incinerate!" Gavin ordered.

Fraxure opened its mouth and blasted an orange-and-white flame at Aura. Aura's body was smothered in white-hot flame, causing it to scream in pain.

"Aura, use Aura Sphere!" Carson shouted.

"Fraxure, use Rock Smash!" Gavin yelled.

As Aura tried to hurry and form a blue ball of aura, Fraxure ran up to it and stopped right in front of it. It pulled its head back and one of its tusks flashed white. The white flash faded and its tusks started to glow orange. Fraxure then whipped its head forward and smashed its tusk onto the growing blue orb. The orb then exploded and Aura was shot backwards. It landed in front of Carson with swirls in its eyes.

"Lucario is unable to battle! Fraxure is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"Seriously, when did Gavin actually train Fraxure when it was an Axew?" Max thought out loud. "Out of all of these chapters, not once did we see Gavin actually train it!"<p>

**(Okay, if one more person breaks the fourth wall, there's going to be trouble!)**

"What was that?" Gary asked.

"I…don't…know," Max said with wide eyes.

* * *

><p>"Kite, rise to the field!" Carson said as he threw his final Pokéball to the field.<p>

In a flash of blue light, Kite the Furret reappeared onto the field, ready to give its all.

"Hey!" Carson yelled over to Gavin. "Let's finish this with one move each!"

"Fine by me!" Gavin said, a glint of light sliding down his shades.

"Double-Edge!" (Carson)

"Giga Impact!" (Gavin)

Kite began to charge at Fraxure with yellow energy trailing behind it. Fraxure's body was surrounded by purple energy and orange streaks. It then lifted up into the air and began torpedoing towards Kite. The two collided and created an explosion of dust.

As the dust cleared, both Pokémon were standing face to face, both struggling to stay standing. Then, Kite suddenly winced and fell to the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Furret is unable to battle! Fraxure is the winner! The victory goes to Gavin!"

* * *

><p>The crowd was full of cheers for the two trainers, but none were louder than Dawn's.<p>

"YES! HE DID IT!" She yelled happily. The others, including Piplup, sweat dropped at her.

Even Gavin heard her from all of the way down on the battlefield. He joined in the sweat-dropping fest as Mike Carson walked up to him.

"Your girlfriend?" Carson asked.

"Yeah," Gavin said, both proud and embarrassed at the same time.

"Well, I won't stop you from going to see her," Carson said as he turned towards him. "But I just wanted to say, great battle. I hope that you get far in the tournament."

"Thanks," Gavin said as the two shook hands.

Over the loudspeaker, they suddenly heard: "Will Alex Von Kizvard and Dark Williams both please come down for their battle?"

* * *

><p>As the next two trainers made their way down to the field, Gavin managed to find his way back to the others with Pichu on his shoulder and Fraxure by his side.<p>

"You…were…AWESOME!" Dawn said as she jumped at him and pressed her lips against his.

The others waited for about two minutes before Gavin and Dawn parted for air. Some of the guys were grinning, the girls were going "Awww," and Brock was looking sad with Tracey patting him on the back.

"So Gavin, when did Axew evolve?" Ash asked.

"Oh, while he was at Prof. Oak's lab," Gavin said as he and Dawn sat down with Fraxure standing proudly in front of him. "You see, I sent him back to get in some special training with Flygon."

"Wait, you have a Flygon?" Iris said in his face with wide and sparkling eyes.

"Uh, yeah," Gavin said, looking a little frightened by the sudden intrusion of his personal space. However, Iris moved back to her seat after she saw Dawn's angry and jealous face.

* * *

><p>Now, the next two trainers were standing on the field. Dark was looking ready to battle, but Alex was looking at his opponent with disdain.<p>

"This should be easy," Alex said arrogantly. "Not even worth much effort."

Dark got angry about this comment and was now ready to battle harder than ever.

"Let the battle begin!" The referee announced.

"Emperor, get out here!" Alex said, almost uncaring as he threw his Pokéball to the field.

"Infernape, on deck!" Dark said as he threw a ball into the air.

In two similar flashes of light, a Serperior and an Infernape appeared on the field. However, the Serperior was of an alternate color and it looked a bit angry at its trainer.

"Emperor, Leaf Tornado!" Alex ordered.

Emperor held out its tail and swirled it around, creating a green tornado that it threw at Infernape.

"Infernape, use Flame Wheel!" Dark commanded.

Infernape's body was surrounded by flames as it ran towards the green cyclone. The flames burned up the leaves and created a tornado of fire that surrounded Infernape as it ran at Emperor.

"Dodge it and use Twister!" Alex instructed.

Emperor slithered out of the way, completely dodging the burning cyclone. It then created a light purple tornado on its tail and launched it at Infernape and its attack. The two winds collided and then exploded, injuring Infernape in the process.

"Infernape!" Dark yelled as his Pokémon hit the ground.

"Emperor, use Leech Seed!" Alex directed.

As Infernape was struggling to get up, Emperor launched a seed from its tail that hit Infernape on its forehead, out of reach of its fiery crown. Vines then sprouted out of the seed and entangled Infernape's entire body. Suddenly, the vines flashed red, and Infernape screamed in pain as the vines zapped his energy.

"Infernape, use Flame Wheel to burn the vines off!" Dark shouted.

Infernape nodded and then flames engulfed its entire body. The fire managed to burn off the seed and its vines.

"Emperor, use Iron Tail!" Alex said angrily.

"Infernape, use Mach Punch!" Dark ordered.

Emperor's tail glowed metallically, but Infernape ran at it at a fast speed. Infernape jumped up and grabbed onto the snake's body, and then, with a glowing blue fist, punched it in the face, sending it flying several yards back towards Alex.

"Get up, weakling!" Alex yelled at the struggling Pokémon. Emperor's eyes flashed in anger at Alex.

"Infernape, finish it with Flamethrower!" Dark commanded.

Infernape opened its mouth and released a stream of flame at its opponent. Emperor's body was engulfed in flames and black smoke. After the smoke cleared, Emperor was laying on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Serperior is unable to battle! Infernape is the winner!"

Alex angrily returned the Regal Pokémon to its ball, and then took out another Pokéball and threw it into the air, yelling, "Serpent, get out here!"

In a flash of light, an angry-looking, red sea serpent was looming above Infernape. The shiny Gyarados looked fierce and full of hate.

"Infernape, use…," Dark began before being interrupted by Alex, who yelled, "Serpent, use Aqua Tail!"

Serpent's tail was surrounded by swirling water as it smacked it against a surprised Infernape. Infernape was knocked into the wall and was sent into unconsciousness upon impact.

"Infernape is unable to battle! Gyarados is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"This guy is terrible," Iris said, angry at the disdainful-looking trainer.<p>

"I SO do not like that guy," May said in furious rage.

"I hope that Dark beats him down hard!" Misty agreed, equally angry.

"VERY hard," Dawn added.

All four of the girls looked extremely angry with fire in their eyes. The guys and the Pokémon looked equally afraid at how angry they looked.

* * *

><p>"Jolteon, on deck!" Dark said as he threw another ball into the air.<p>

In a flash of light, a yellow dog-like creature with a short tail surrounded by a fringe of spikes on its rear and yellow fur that looked equally spiky. It also had a white, spiky collar.

"Jolt!" It cried out, surprisingly not looking intimidated by Serpent's fierce appearance.

"Serpent, take out that mutt with Earthquake!" Alex ordered.

"Jolteon, grab onto it with Thunder Fang!" Dark instructed.

Serpent lifted its tail, and was about to bring it down onto the ground when Jolteon ran at it lightning-quick speed, jumped up high and bit onto its tail with electric-yellow-glowing fangs. Serpent screamed out in pain as the electricity stung its tail.

"Now, use Thunder!" Dark shouted.

Yellow electricity came out of Jolteon's body and went through Serpent's, causing the Atrocious Pokémon's body to light up in yellow electricity.

"Serpent, shake it off!" Alex yelled.

Serpent then gathered up the strength to throw Jolteon off of its tail. Luckily, Jolteon was able to land onto the ground easily.

"Use a Thunder-Pin Missile!" Dark commanded.

Jolteon's body lit up with the yellow electricity of a Thunder attack. Then, it launched electrically-charged needles at Serpent. Serpent cried at the damage that Jolteon was causing it.

"Dragon Rage!" Alex said in intense anger.

A cyclone of wind erupted around Serpent's body. The crowd had to hold onto their seats to avoid being blown away.

"Jolteon, knock it out with Last Resort!" Dark ordered.

Jolteon then ran at Serpent, its body outlined in white and lines of electricity trailing behind it. It then tackled Serpent and Serpent screamed in great pain. The winds suddenly ceased, and Serpent was knocked out with Jolteon standing on top of it.

"Gyarados is unable to battle! Jolteon is the winner!"

Jolteon jumped off of Serpent as Alex returned it to its Pokéball in a flash of red light. He then took out one last ball and threw it into the air, yelling, "Criminal, get out here now!"

In a flash of light, a brown-and-yellow Krookodile appeared onto the field. Krookodile snarled at Jolteon in anger. Jolteon returned it with a growl.

"Jolteon, return!" Dark suddenly said, holding out a Pokéball. Jolteon disappeared in a red light.

"I want someone else to handle this one, buddy," Dark said as he took out another ball. He threw it into the air and yelled, "Lairon, on deck!"

In a blue light, a stocky, armored quadruped creature with blue eyes and sharp claws appeared onto the field.

"Criminal, use Brick Break!" Alex ordered.

Criminal began running up to Lairon with a glowing-white arm.

"Lairon, use Iron Defense!" Dark instructed.

Lairon's body became outlined in light blue and the metal on its body briefly shined. Criminal brought its arm down on Lairon, but Lairon didn't seem to be too damaged.

"Now, use Metal Sound!" Dark commanded.

Lairon shook the armor on its body, causing it to glow white, and blue sound waves came out of its body at Criminal. Criminal covered its ears and cried out in pain.

"Criminal, use Earthquake!" Alex yelled.

Criminal shook its head to get the ringing out of its ears and then smashed its tail onto the ground, causing the earth to crack and break up.

"Lairon, Protect!" Dark shouted.

A green sphere surrounded Lairon's body just as the earthquake reached it. Lairon bounced around a little, but was unaffected by Criminal's attack.

"Criminal, use Dragon Claw!" Alex said angrily.

"Lairon, use Endure!" Dark told his Pokémon.

Criminal ran up to Lairon and slashed at it with claws that glowed light blue, but Lairon just sat there and took it with gritted teeth.

"Lairon, use Rain Dance!" Dark instructed.

Lairon then opened its mouth and launched a blue orb into the sky. Suddenly, dark clouds covered the field and heavy rain began falling down upon the stadium.

"What's that supposed to do? Criminal, use Fire Fang!" Alex shouted with a sneer on his face.

Flames lit up in Criminal's mouth as it bit down upon the Iron Armor Pokémon.

"This! Lairon, use Water Pulse!" Dark yelled.

Lairon's eyes glowed blue, and then, pulses of water appeared under it and Criminal. Both were injured by the attack, and as the rain disappeared, all could see that the attack had knocked out Criminal, who had been still biting Lairon until the Steel-and-Rock-typed Pokémon threw it off.

"Krookodile is unable to battle! Lairon is the winner! The victory goes to Dark!"

* * *

><p>As the crowd cheered for Dark, Alex recalled Criminal and then walked off angrily, muttering to himself, "No matter. I'll just have Aunt J's old goons hunt me down some stronger Pokémon. Pokémon that can actually fight well."<p>

* * *

><p>A little bit later, it was time for the final battle of the day. On one side was Fermin, the boy that Ash and the others had met on the first night. On the other side was Yamagi Ishida, who Mario had pointed out to them that same night.<p>

"Let the battle begin!" The referee yelled.

"Carracosta, come now to the present!" Yamagi said as he threw a ball into the air.

In a flash of light, a bipedal, blue-colored sea turtle-like creature appeared onto the field.

"Blastoise, help me out!" Fermin cried out as he threw a ball into the air.

In a blue flash, the familiar-looking, large, tailed bipedal, blue tortoise-like creature with a large, brown shell with silver cannons coming out of it landed with a thud onto the field.

"Carracosta, use Scald!" Yamagi instructed.

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!" Fermin ordered.

Carracosta opened its mouth and fired a stream of boiling hot water at Blastoise. Blastoise's cannons aimed at the hot water and then it fired two large blasts of water at it. The three blasts of water collided, and then they all fizzled out into a fog of steam.

"Carracosta, take this opportunity to use Shell Smash!" Yamagi told his Pokémon.

Carracosta's whole body momentarily glowed white, and crimson red cracks formed around it. The white energy then broke apart like pieces of a shell, revealing a glowing red Carracosta.

"Now use Earthquake!" Yamagi commanded.

Carracosta lifted its arms and then brought them down onto the ground hard, causing the earth under the field to break up.

"Blastoise, hold on, buddy!" Fermin shouted.

Blastoise nodded, and held strong against all of the shaking and rumbling of the ground. Finally, the attack ceased.

"Use Rock Slide!" Yamagi yelled.

"Blastoise, Withdraw!" Fermin said with hurry in his voice.

Blastoise withdrew into its shell just as rocks began falling out of the sky from strange energy ripples. The rocks completely buried Blastoise, making it so no part of it could be seen.

"Blastoise, break out with Rapid Spin!" Fermin said in a loud voice.

The rocks began shifting slightly, and then they all flew off of Blastoise, who could be seen spinning around in its shell. It then came out of its shell, still looking strong.

'_We've got to find Carracosta_ _somehow, but how can we find it in all of this steam?_' Fermin thought. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Blastoise use Foresight!"

Blastoise's eyes glowed blue and a blue light spread throughout the steam until a familiar, glowing-blue shape could be seen on the other side of the field.

"Let's light up this fog! Use Flash Cannon!" Fermin said with confidence.

Blastoise aimed its cannons and then fired two beams of silver energy through the fog, causing it to clear up before both hit Carracosta. Carracosta struggled to stand back up from the ground after it had been knocked down.

"Finish it off with Skull Bash!" Fermin commanded.

Blastoise torpedoed towards Carracosta, its body surrounded by a silver aura. It then slammed its head into the Prototurtle Pokémon's gut, knocking it over onto the ground. Blastoise then got up and stood over the now-unconscious Carracosta.

"Carracosta is unable to battle! Blastoise is the winner!"

Yamagi then recalled Carracosta and took out another ball and threw it into the air.

"Archeops, come now to the present!" He shouted as the First Bird Pokémon appeared in the air. It screeched intimidatingly.

"Blastoise, use Bite!" Fermin yelled.

"Archeops, use Stone Edge!" Yamagi ordered.

Just as Blastoise was about to jump up and bite the flying creature, Archeops's body was surrounded by gray rocks that shot out at Blastoise. Blastoise held up its arms as it was pelted by the small stones.

"Now, use Dragon Claw!" Yamagi instructed.

Archeops's claws and talons all glowed light blue, and then, it flew down at Blastoise and slashed it with both claws and talons. Blastoise then fell over, now knocked out after all of the damage that both Archeops and Carracosta had caused it.

"Blastoise is unable to battle! Archeops is the winner!"

Blastoise disappeared in a flash of red light as Fermin held up its Pokéball. He smiled at the ball and then put it back onto his belt, replacing it in his hand with another one.

"Steelix, help me out!" He yelled as he threw it into the air.

In a flash of light, the large Iron Snake Pokémon appeared onto the field, grinning a very sinister-looking grin.

"Archeops, use Acrobatics!" Yamagi directed.

Archeops began flying around in the air nimbly, causing Steelix to look up angrily at it. It then flew down to hit it.

"Steelix, use Iron Tail!" Fermin ordered.

The end of Steelix's tail glowed a metallic glow as it swung it at the oncoming Archeops, knocking it to the ground.

"Now, use DragonBreath!" Fermin commanded.

"Use DragonBreath as well, Archeops!" Yamagi instructed.

Both Pokémon fired powerful beams of air at each other. The attacks collided in mid-air, causing a huge explosion.

"Archeops, use Endeavor!" Yamagi shouted.

Archeops flew up into the air, sped towards Steelix, and then knocked it over with great strength.

Now, due to Endeavor, both Pokémon looked beat. They both looked like they could only stand one more hit.

"Archeops/Steelix, use DragonBreath!" Both trainers yelled in unison.

Once again, the two Pokémon fired powerful beams of air at each other. However, this time the two beams missed each other and hit their respectable targets. Both Pokémon then fell to the ground and into unconsciousness.

"Neither Pokémon is able to battle! This round is proclaimed a tie!"

Now, each trainer had only one Pokémon left. They both each took out a Pokéball, threw it into the air, and said, "Rampardos, come now to the present/Meganium, help me out!"

In a large flash of light, two creatures appeared onto the field. One was a large, gray, dinosaur-like creature with a blue dome on its head and spikes all over its body. The other was a green, sauropod-like creature with two stamen-like protrusions coming out of the top of its head and a large pink flower with a yellow central pattern and white tips around its neck.

"Rampardos, use Stone Edge!" Yamagi ordered.

"Meganium, use Petal Dance!" Fermin commanded.

Small gray rocks and sharp pink petals collided in mid-air as the final battle began.

"Rampardos, use Zen Headbutt!" (Yamagi)

Rampardos's dome started glowing blue as it charged towards Meganium.

"Safeguard, Meganium!" (Fermin)

A green energy field surrounded Meganium's body, causing Rampardos to crash into the shield.

"Rampardos, Earthquake!" (Yamagi)

"Meganium, Vine Whip to the air and then Body Slam!" (Fermin)

Just as the earth started to shake after Rampardos stomped into the ground, vines came out of Meganium's neck and pushed it into the air. Meganium flew above Rampardos and then landed on top of it.

"Rampardos, use Head Smash to get it off!" (Yamagi)

Rampardos's body was surrounded by a blue aura as it used its head to send Meganium flying into the air.

"Meganium, Sunny Day!" (Fermin)

Meganium launched a yellowish orb into the sky from its antennae while it was in the air, causing the sun to once again become super bright.

"Now grab onto Rampardos with Vine Whip and then pull yourself down towards it while using Solarbeam!" Fermin yelled.

"WHAT? NO!" Yamagi said, surprised.

Meganium's vines came down and wrapped around Rampardos. Then, as it pulled itself down towards the Head Butt Pokémon, it fired a yellow beam from its mouth at it until it landed with an explosion.

As the smoke cleared, everyone could see Meganium laying on top a knocked-out Rampardos.

"Rampardos is unable to battle! Meganium is the winner! The victory goes to Fermin!"

* * *

><p>The crowd cheered as both Fermin and Yamagi shook hands and waved to the crowd.<p>

"And now we have our eighth competitor who is going on to Round Two!" Mr. Battrio said over the loudspeaker. "We will resume and show our next four battles tomorrow! So, until then, have a good night!"

* * *

><p>Ash and the others began to walk back to the Pokémon Center after the day's battles were over. They were talking to Walker about his upcoming battle, when suddenly the mysterious hooded figure they had seen the other day stepped out in front of them.<p>

"Hey, aren't you…," Walker began before the figure held up their hand to silence them.

"Hello there, Ash," A feminine voice said from beneath the hood. "It's been a while."

"Do I know you?" Ash asked, feeling the same aura that he had felt the other day.

"Maybe this will help," The figure said with a smile. The figure's cloak was then thrown into the air.

When they saw who it was, Ash, Gavin, and Gary's eyes all widened.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 32: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 3: Fierce Battles and an Old Friend!"<span>_- An old friend has revealed themselves to Ash and the others. But just who are they, and what's their connection to Ash, Gavin, and Gary? Plus, what's theirs' and Walker's story? To be continued in the next chapter of Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**Cliffhanger! Just who is this person? You'll have to wait and find out! Read and Review!**

**Also, a sincere apology to Name, TanktheAggron, and Bowser Blanchette for your losses! As with the others, you will be given the option to have either the oc submitted into the tournament or a new oc in the sequel! You battled hard and you deserve it!**

**By the way, most of you may not of seen, but due to some info I found out about the legendaries that are appearing in the 15th Pokemon movie coming out next year, I have decided to change the name of my upcoming movie fanfic to "Kyurem and the Hero's Sword!" If you have any questions regarding it or any other aspects of my fanfic(s), don't hesitate to ask!**

**Sorry it has been taking so long to write these chapters. The 3-on-3 battles take a long time to write, plus I just got on Winter Break this week, so I will do my best to get these chapters out quicker now that I have more free time to do so! **

**One final thing: I have a few stories that I think people should read if they like Advanceshipping, or just Pokemon in general. 1)."Clash of the Heavens: The Mark of the Devil"- A new fanfic by A.M.P 1008, a newer writer who is also the creator of the OCs Ryan and his group of friends seen in the last two chapters. It's a crossover of Pokemon and Bleach that involves ****his OCs. 2). ALL of beastmode953's stories. They are all pretty good! Plus, the latest chapter of "Return with Avengence" mentions me and a lot of other awesome Advanceshipping fanfic writers! ****3). LuciferIX's ****final story, "The Puppeteer's Wishes. This guy is really good! 4). The Shiny Gengar's "Fiercer than a Legendary" It is Epic!**

**If you all are looking for any other great stories, I can recommend a few others. Really, there are a lot of awesome fanfic writers! **

**I hope you guys continue to read this story, and I will do all that I can to make it so that it continues to be enjoyable for all of you! However, just telling you now, no matter how much you review me, telling me exactly what you want to happen, I will only do it if I feel that it will work well with the story. **

**Anyways, thanks for giving this story over 30,000 hits and I'll see you all next time!  
><strong>


	32. Chapter 32

**Finally, Chapter 32! I'm sorry for the long wait on these chapters, but they take a super long time to write! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not Pokemon.**

Chapter_ 32: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 3: Fierce Battles and an Old Friend!"_

(Flashback)

_ "Hey, aren't you…," Walker began before the figure held up their hand to silence them._

_ "Hello there, Ash," A feminine voice said from beneath the hood. "It's been a while."_

_ "Do I know you?" Ash asked, feeling the same aura that he had felt the other day._

_ "Maybe this will help," The figure said with a smile. The figure's cloak was then thrown into the air. _

_ When they saw who it was, Ash, Gavin, and Gary's eyes all widened._

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>There, standing before the group, was a girl around Ash and Gavin's age with brown hair that went down to her elbows and brown eyes. She wore a light blue, sleeveless blouse with a black collar, a red skirt, light blue socks, white shoes with a red line down the middle, and on her head, she wore a white hat with a red half-Pokéball on the front.<p>

"Leaf!" Ash said with smile. Gavin and Gary both broke out into smiles.

"What's up, guys?" Leaf said with a wink.

She then hugged Ash and Gavin, and shook hands with Gary. The others, however, were still all really confused, even Pikachu, who was sitting on May's shoulder currently.

"Um, excuse me," Misty said, catching the others' attention. "I'm sorry, but who are you, exactly?"

"Oh, yeah," Ash said, slapping himself in the forehead. "Everyone, this is Leaf. She, Gary, Gavin and I all grew up together."

"And then, she got her first Pokémon from Professor Oak like me and Ash did," Gary added.

"Except I wasn't late, like certain people," Leaf said with a smirk.

"I OVERSLEPT, OKAY?" Ash said angrily. Pikachu then hopped over from his shoulder and Ash calmed down. "Besides, if I hadn't overslept, I never would've met Pikachu."

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu said proudly.

"Speaking of which," Gavin started, "what Pokémon did you end up picking, Leaf?"

"Why don't I just show you?" Leaf said with smile. She then took out a Pokéball, kissed it, and then threw it into the air.

In a flash of light, a large, familiar-looking green quadruped dinosaur-like creature with a large red flower with white spots on its back appeared on the ground in front of them.

"Ven-a-saur," It said in a deep voice.

"Wow! A Venusaur!" Cilan said in awe.

Suddenly, though, a small, round, pink ball-like creature with large, blue eyes, small, cat-like ears, and a hair-like curl on its head walked over next to Leaf and Venusaur.

"Jiggly!" It said in high-pitched voice, looking up at Leaf.

"Oh, there you are, Jigglypuff," Leaf said with a smile. "I was wondering where you ran off to."

Then, Jigglypuff turned and smiled when it saw Ash, Pikachu, May, Misty, Brock, and Max. It then took out a small microphone.

"Wait, could that be…AHH!" Ash and the others mentioned yelled in fright. The others looked at them with confused looks on their faces.

"What's wrong, guys?" Leaf asked.

"That's…that's…," Misty said, trying to speak, but couldn't get the words out.

"That's the Jigglypuff that followed us around through Kanto, The Orange Islands, Johto, and partially through Hoenn," Ash finished.

"It sings, we fall asleep, and then it draws on our faces," May explained.

"Oh, yeah, I found Jigglypuff when I was traveling through Hoenn," Leaf said, remembering the experience.

* * *

><p>(Flashback)<p>

_ "Combusken, finish it off with Fire Spin!" Leaf commanded._

_ "COM-BUSKEN!" The orange chicken-like Pokémon said as it released a cyclone of flames at its white, sloth-like opponent._

_ "Vig-o-roth!" Vigoroth screamed in pain as the flames engulfed its body. After the smoke disappeared, a soot-covered Vigoroth fell over, now knocked out._

"_Vigoroth is unable to battle! Combusken is the winner! The victory goes to Leaf!" The gym referee announced._

_ "Awesome, Combusken, you won!" Leaf said happily to the Young Fowl Pokémon._

_ "Com-busken!" Combusken saluted proudly._

_ Then, she noticed the gym leader walked up to her with a case in his hands. Standing beside him was a bruised-up Vigoroth._

_ "Congratulations, Leaf," He said with a smile. "To signify your victory, this Balance Badge is yours!"_

_ He opened the case, and there, sitting in the velvet, was a small piece of metal that looked like a barbell._

_ "Wow! Thank you, Norman, sir!" Leaf said with a bow, then happily taking the badge out of the case. She then held into the air and said in a pose, "I just won…a Balance Badge!"_

_ Suddenly, though, a small, round, pink creature jumped up in front of her, saying, "Jiggly-puff!"_

_ "Huh?" Leaf said in confusion. "A Jigglypuff?"_

_ "Jiggly!" Jigglypuff said happily. Then, it took out a small microphone and opened its mouth to start singing. _

_ "No, wait!" Norman yelled, trying to stop it, but it was too late._

_ "Jig-gly-puff, Jig-gly-y-y-puff," Jigglypuff began to sing. "Jig-gly-puff, Jig-gly!"_

_ It then stopped and noticed Norman, Combusken, and Vigoroth, who was actually just worn out, as sing usually doesn't affect it, all lying on the ground asleep. Jigglypuff puffed up in anger, and was about to draw on their faces, when it suddenly noticed Leaf, who was still wide awake._

_ "Jiggly?" Jigglypuff said, confused. No one had ever managed to stay awake before._

_ "Oh, lullabies never have been able to work on me," Leaf explained. "I have to say, your song was lovely! I could use a Pokémon like you on my team! Would you like to come with me?"_

_ "Jiggly!" Jigglypuff said happily. It had finally found someone to listen to its song. _

_ "Okay, then," Leaf said as she took out a Pokéball. "Pokéball, go!"_

_ She threw it at the Balloon Pokémon, who, when struck by the ball, disappeared in a flash of red light. The ball wiggled for a few moments, and then stopped with a few sparks flying out. _

_ Leaf grabbed the ball, held it into the air, and said, "Not only did I get a new badge, but I caught a Jigglypuff as well!"_

_ At that, she heard a couple of snores behind her, and she fell over, anime-style._

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>"Wow! What a great story!" May said happily.<p>

"Uh, May, our dad _lost_ in it," Max said, a little angry at Leaf and his sister.

"Wait, you're Norman's kids?" Leaf asked.

Ash nodded and said, "Yup. Leaf, I want you to meet all of our friends. This is…"

Leaf raised a hand to stop him and said, "Don't worry, I think I've got this. Professor Oak told me about all of you. You're May, Max, Misty, Brock, Dawn, Tracey, Iris, and Cilan. And I already know Gavin and Gary, but who's this?"

"Oh, I'm Walker," Walker said proudly. "Just the greatest and most powerful trainer in the world!"

"You forgot _most annoying_," Gavin said with a smirk.

Walker glared at him angrily while the others all just laughed.

"So, why don't we all head back together to the Pokémon Center, and buy dinner? My treat," Leaf said with a smile.

"ALRIGHT!" Ash and May said enthusiastically as they suddenly broke out running for the Pokémon Center. The others stood there sweat dropping.

"Leaf, you might live to regret those words," Gary said with a slightly embarrassed grin.

* * *

><p>The next morning, we find the group, along with their oldnew friend Leaf and Walker, sitting together in the stadium, ready to watch the day's battles.

"Welcome everyone to the third day of the Kafue Town Battle Tournament!" Mr. Battrio said to the crowd. "The previous two days have had many amazing battles, and now, we shall hopefully see another day of battles of the same high caliber!

"Now, without further ado, we shall begin our first battle between Sean and Trentavious Phoenix!"

* * *

><p>Soon enough, the crowd was cheering as Sean and Trent stood opposite of each other on the battle field. Both trainers looked ready to give it their all.<p>

"Let the battle begin!" The referee said as he brought down both of his flags.

"Match Set! First Battler: Froslass!" Trent said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, a floating, white creature with a kimono-like torso with a red band around its waist, arms that hung from its head like ears, a head shaped like a droplet of water turned on its side with two ice crystals on the top of it and several holes in it that revealed purple skin under it, and crystal blue eyes with yellow scleras.

"My choice is Blaziken!" Sean said as he tossed a Pokéball to the field.

In a flash of blue, the blaze Pokémon appeared onto the field. Its wrists lit up, and it looked ready to fight.

"Froslass, use Ominous Wind!" Trent commanded.

Froslass's eyes glowed blue as it held up its arms and launched a purple wind from its mouth at Blaziken.

"Blaziken, dodge it and use Fire Spin!" Sean ordered.

Blaziken jumped up into the air with its amazing jumping ability, avoiding the purple wind, and then opened its mouth and fired a cyclone of flame down at the Snow Land Pokémon.

"Block it with Thunderbolt!" Trent instructed.

Froslass released a blast of yellow electricity from its body at the Fire-type attack. The two attacks collided and exploded into a cloud of black smoke. After the smoke cleared, Blaziken could still be seen in the air.

"Blaziken, use Brave Bird!" Sean directed.

Blaziken started quickly descending down towards Froslass, its body now cloaked in a blue aura.

"Froslass, use Ice Beam!" Trent shouted.

A light blue ball formed in Froslass's hand. It then fired light blue beams from the ball at Blaziken. The beams coated Blaziken and its attack in ice. Blaziken's frozen attack came hurtling down to the ground, just barely missing Froslass.

"Blaziken! Break out with Blaze Kick!" Sean yelled.

As Blaziken's wrists and feet flared up into flames, the ice around its body began to melt until Blaziken was able to break it apart with its strength.

"Blaziken, use Fire Spin!" Sean told his Pokémon.

Blaziken once again opened its mouth and released a cyclone of flames at Froslass.

"Froslass, use Ice Shard!" Trent ordered.

A light blue ball of ice formed in Froslass's arms before it launched it at the Fire attack. However, the flames were too strong at such a close range, so Blaziken's attack broke through, hitting Froslass.

"Lass!" Froslass cried in pain as the swirling flames licked its body. It was now covered in burns, looking as though it could only withstand one more attack.

"Blaziken, finish it with Blast Burn!" Sean commanded.

"Froslass, use Destiny Bond!" Trent instructed.

Just as the tornado of exploding flame came down upon it, Froslass's body was outlined in a purple aura. Then, as everyone could see the swirly eyes in the unconscious Froslass's eyes, swirling purple lights flew out of them and went into Blaziken. Blaziken screamed in pain as its body was surrounded by a purple aura. Then, it fell over, and fainted as well.

"Neither Pokémon is able to battle! This round is pronounced a tie!"

* * *

><p>"Whoa, both are down one Pokémon," Max said, astounded.<p>

"I remember when that happened to Ash's Glalie back at the Ever Grande Conference," May said, frightened at that memory. She wrapped herself around Ash's arm for comfort.

"It's still hard to believe that Ash got a girlfriend before Gary," Leaf said with a giggle. "Wait, strike that. It's pretty easy to believe."

"Hey!" Gary said angrily. "I've had girlfriends before!"

"None of your old cheerleaders count," Misty said with a sly grin.

Gary was now in the corner of woe in a fetal position. This caused a few laughs out of the other guys.

"I wouldn't laugh, Tracey," Misty said with a disapproving look. "When did you ever have a girlfriend that you didn't draw on that sketchpad of yours?"

Corner of woe occupancy count: 2

"And Cilan, the only date you ever had was with Burgundy, and you and I both know how that ended," Iris said with a mocking smile.

"I can still feel the burns," Cilan muttered from the corner.

Corner of woe occupancy count: 3

Walker was now laughing harder than the other guys. This ended when Gavin said to him, "Walker, should you _really_ be laughing right now? You've never even been on a date."

"You don't have to rub it in," Walker said from the corner.

"Uh, Gavin, neither have you," Dawn said with a raised eyebrow.

"Um, well, I, uh…," Gavin faltered under Dawn's glare. "I'll be in the corner."

Pichu walked with him in an effort to comfort him.

Corner of woe occupancy count: 5

After a few more comments about denseness, accidently knocking out their first crush's Pokémon in battle, and a few female cat Pokémon, Ash, Pikachu, Max, and Meowth all joined the other guys in the corner of woe, leaving only Brock laughing at the other's misfortune.

"Brock, do we really even have to say it?" May asked.

Corner of woe occupancy count: 11

* * *

><p>"Match set! Second Battler: Walrein!" Trent said as he threw a new ball into the air.<p>

Instantaneously, a large, blubbery, pinniped-like creature with long, yellow, walrus-like tusks, yellow irises, a white, sea foam-like mane, a pig-like blue nose, and a short tail landed onto the field.

"My choice is Torterra!" Sean said as he threw a Pokéball to the field.

In a flash of blue, the large, green turtle Pokémon appeared onto the field.

"Walrein, use Surf!" Trent directed.

A huge wave erupted under Walrein and it began riding it towards the Continent Pokémon.

"Torterra, use Leaf Storm!" Sean shouted.

The leaves on the tree on Torterra's back started to glow light green. It then released a cyclone of wind and glowing green leaves at the wave of water speeding towards it. The water erupted and Walrein was launched up into the air above Torterra.

"Walrein, hit it with Ice Fang!" Trent yelled.

Walrein's tusks glowed light blue as it sped down towards Torterra. It then landed on top of it and bit into it. Ice started to freeze over some parts of Torterra's back.

"Torterra, use Frenzy Plant to throw it off!" Sean commanded.

Torterra's body became outlined in green, and then it slammed its two front legs into the ground. Giant roots covered in spikes came out of the ground, pulled Walrein off of Torterra, and then threw it across the field and slamming it on the ground.

"Walrein, return!" Trent said, holding out a Pokéball. Walrein disappeared in a red light. He then said to it, "Take a rest. I'll use you again soon."

He then took out another Pokéball, threw it into the air, and yelled, "Match Set! Third Battler: Weavile!"

In a flash of light, the Sharp Claw Pokémon appeared onto the field, claws ready.

"Weavile, use Aerial Ace!" Trent ordered.

"Torterra, quick, use Synthesis!" Sean cried out.

Weavile swiftly ran at Torterra, its body surrounded by white streaks, until it tackled the immobile Torterra. Torterra, who was still recovering from its Frenzy Plant attack, still couldn't move, and thus, was taking a lot of damage. However, due to white sparkles surrounding Torterra's body, Torterra was slowly healing.

"Hit it with an Ice Beam!" Trent instructed.

Weavile put its hands together and a light blue ball formed between them. It then fired light blue beams from the ball at Torterra. Torterra cried out in pain as the beams of ice struck it and began to freeze more of its body. It still continued to heal, however.

"Weavile, now, hit it with a Blizzard!" Trent directed.

Just as Weavile was about to use the powerful Ice-type attack, Torterra's body stopped glowing, now fully healed.

"Alright! Torterra, use Earthquake!" Sean shouted.

Torterra slammed its front two legs down and the earth began to crack and shake. This caused Weavile to lose its balance and its attack to falter.

"Now, finish it with Rock Climb!" Sean yelled.

Torterra's claws glowed white and grew longer as it smashed its front two legs into the ground. Suddenly, a mountain rose from the ground, taking Weavile up high into the air. Torterra then began running swiftly up the pillar of rock with ease towards a shocked Weavile.

"Weavile, use Ice Punch!" Trent commanded.

Just as Torterra slammed into it, sending both of them to the ground, Weavile's fist glowed light blue and it then punched Torterra straight in the face. They both crashed into the ground, causing the pillar of rock to disappear back into the ground. The crowd soon saw that both Weavile and Torterra had been knocked out.

"Neither Pokémon is able to battle! This round is pronounced a tie!"

* * *

><p>"Wow, they just both keep knocking each other's Pokémon out!" Misty said in awe.<p>

Everyone else nodded, including the guys, who had finally come out of the corner of woe.

"But Trent only has Walrein left while Sean hasn't even used his last one yet," Tracey commented.

"This is going to be a very interesting final battle," Gary said, highly interested.

* * *

><p>"Match Set! Second Battler, come back out!" Trent said as he threw his Pokéball into the air.<p>

Instantly, Walrein reappeared, ready to finish what it had started.

"My choice is Raichu!" Sean said as he tossed a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of blue light, the evolved form of Pikachu appeared onto the field. It looked willing and ready to battle.

"Raichu, use Dig!" Sean instructed.

Raichu used its front paws to dig into the ground. In less than a second, it disappeared.

"Walrein, use Earthquake!" Trent ordered.

Walrein slammed its flippers onto the ground, causing the earth to tremble and shake with enormous power. Raichu was then suddenly launched out of the ground and into the air.

"Raichu, regain your balance with Iron Tail!" Sean directed.

Raichu flipped its metallically-glowing tail around until the tail stuck into the ground. At this Raichu was able to regain its composure.

"Use Electro Ball!" Sean shouted.

Raichu's tail lit up, and a yellow orb formed on its tail. It then flipped around and launched the ball at Walrein.

"Walrein, block it with Rock Tomb!" Trent yelled.

Walrein roared, and suddenly, rocks broke out of the ground, floated into the air, and blocked the electric attack.

"Raichu, break those rocks with Thunder!" Sean commanded.

Raichu's body became surrounded by yellow electricity, and it fired a beam of lightning at the floating rocks, causing them to shatter.

"Walrein, it's time to win this match! Use Ice Ball!" Trent ordered.

Walrein opened its mouth and formed a ball of ice in front of it. It then launched it at Raichu.

"Raichu, break it with Iron Tail!" Sean instructed.

Raichu swung its iron-clad tail at small ball of ice, causing it to shatter. Walrein then launched another, slightly larger ball of ice.

"Electro Ball!" Sean directed.

The second ball of ice was destroyed with the powerful orb of electricity. Walrein once again fired a ball of ice, this time, one about the size of Raichu.

"Thunder!" Sean shouted.

Raichu fired a beam of lightning at the ball. It shattered, but one could tell that Raichu was getting tired. Trent smirked as Walrein fired another ball of ice, which was now about the size of two Raichu.

"Hyper Beam!" Sean yelled with a bead of sweat dripping on his brow.

Raichu opened its mouth and fired a pink beam of energy surrounded by white energy at the small iceberg. It shattered, but not before getting really close to Raichu.

"Now, Walrein!" Trent said with confidence. "The final Ice Ball! Finish it!"

Walrein then, slowly but surely, created a ball of ice that looked about the size of a Snorlax.

"Raichu, we can't give in without a fight! Use Volt Tackle!" Sean cried out.

Raichu then ran at the ice attack, its body surrounded by yellow electricity. It then slammed itself into the iceberg, causing it to shatter. However, despite that impressive feat, Raichu lay on the ground unconscious.

"Raichu is unable to battle! Walrein is the winner! The victory goes to Trent!"

* * *

><p>Sean and Trent shook hands as the crowd cheered for both of them. Soon enough, however, it was time for the next match.<p>

"Hey, look! It's the guy with the Articuno!" Max exclaimed as they saw Jeff Carmine step onto the field.

"And there's the guy with the specially-colored Absol!" Dawn pointed out as Timothy Broome standing on the opposite side of the field.

"This should be a good match!" Ash said enthusiastically.

* * *

><p>"Let the battle begin!"<p>

"Sceptile, the time to fight is now!" Timothy said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, the Forest Pokémon appeared onto the field and stepped into a fighting stance.

"Chandelure, show yourself!" Jeff said as he threw a ball into the air like his opponent.

Instantaneously, the floating chandelier-like creature with purple flame flares all over its body appeared in mid-air.

"Sceptile, get close to it with Quick Attack!" Timothy commanded.

Sceptile started running down the field at a fast speed towards its floating opponent.

"Chandelure, don't let it get near you! Use Fire Spin!" Jeff ordered.

Chandelure's flames flared up and it began spinning around in the air at a high speed. Flames then shot out of it and started spinning around it, creating an actual tornado of fire. Sceptile held back as the flames were too hot for it to handle.

"Now, use Shadow Ball!" Jeff instructed.

The flames around it dissipated and Chandelure fired a shadowy orb at Sceptile.

"Slice it with Leaf Blade!" Timothy directed.

Sceptile's forearm leaves glowed green and extended, creating sharp blades. Then, as the Shadow Ball came at it, Sceptile slashed at it and sliced it in half, causing the halves to hit the ground and make light explosions.

"Keep it up, Chandelure!" Jeff told his Pokémon.

"Continue to cut them as they come, Sceptile!" Timothy said to Sceptile.

Chandelure then began to shoot a rapid-fire barrage of Shadow Balls at Sceptile, while the latter just sliced them with Leaf Blade after Leaf Blade.

"Chandelure, use Overheat!" Jeff shouted.

"Sceptile, dodge it with Agility and then hit with Bullet Seed!" Timothy yelled.

Chandelure then fired a blast of white fire with red-orange fire spiraling around it from its head at Sceptile. Sceptile suddenly dodged it at a surprisingly fast speed. Sceptile then opened its mouth and shot many glowing yellow seeds from it at Chandelure. Chandelure grunted as the seeds hit it.

"Now finish it with Night Slash!" Timothy ordered.

Sceptile's blades glowed a deadly red as it ran at Chandelure with Agility still in effect. It then slashed it and sent it flying towards the ground. Chandelure struggled to float back into the air, but could barely move.

"Chandelure, can you go on?" Jeff asked.

Chandelure sort of nodded, but Jeff could tell that Night Slash had dealt it a lot of damage. If Chandelure was going to go down, then it would take something with it.

"Chandelure, Memento!" Jeff said with a bit of pain in his voice.

Chandelure's eyes glowed purple for a second, and Sceptile's body was covered in a dark aura. Sceptile screamed in pain until Chandelure fell to the ground, knocked out.

"Chandelure is unable to battle! Sceptile is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"What was that attack?" Dawn asked.<p>

"Memento," Gavin explained with a solemn look on his face. "It's a move where the opponent's Attack and Special Attack stats are lowered by a lot, but at the same time, the user faints."

"Why would he do that to his own Pokémon?" May inquired, looking slightly angry at Jeff.

"It was actually so that it wouldn't feel any more pain," Brock said calmly. The others' expressions softened. "Chandelure was already hurt really badly, so Jeff wanted to use it to at least give his next Pokémon a chance to avenge it."

* * *

><p>Jeff then recalled his Chandelure with a sad look on his face. At the same time, Timothy was switching his Pokémon as well.<p>

Then, as they each threw their next Pokéball into the air, they both yelled, "Gallade, the time to fight is now/Galvantula, show yourself!"

In simultaneous flashes of light, two very different Pokémon appeared. One was familiar-looking to the group, the white Blade Pokémon, while the other was only familiar to Ash, Iris, and Cilan. It was a yellow-and-blue, hairy, spider-like creature with four simple eyes in the middle of its forehead between two normal eyes, a jagged purple stripe down its back, a purple underbelly, and spiky hairy blue features fringing its abdomen.

* * *

><p>May then took out her Pokédex and scanned the Unova Pokémon.<p>

"_Galvantula, the EleSpider Pokémon. Galvantula attacks its prey by shooting electrically charged threads and its front mandibles can hold down opponents._"

* * *

><p>"Galvantula, use Electroweb!" Jeff commanded.<p>

Galvantula jumped into the air and spun a thread of electricity between its mandibles. It then fired it as a stream of electricity that expanded into an electrical net that covered a surprised Gallade. Gallade cringed slightly as electricity began to course through its body.

"Gallade, Teleport out of there!" Timothy instructed.

Gallade's body glowed multicolored and then it disappeared from the web and reappeared next to Galvantula. The web slumped to the ground and then fizzled out.

"Gallade, Close Combat!" Timothy directed.

Gallade then started striking Galvantula repeatedly with its blades and by kicking it. Galvantula attempted to dodge, but Gallade was too quick for it.

"Galvantula, use Bug Buzz to get it off of you!" Jeff shouted.

Galvantula then rubbed its mandibles together, creating red sound waves that hurt Gallade's ears and caused it to stumble away from the EleSpider Pokémon.

"Now, Discharge!" Jeff yelled.

Galvantula's body became surrounded by yellow electricity and it then released several bolts of electricity at Gallade. Gallade cried out in pain.

"Gallade, get rid of the electricity with Protect!" Timothy commanded.

A green energy sphere suddenly surrounded Gallade's body, deflecting the rest of Galvantula's Discharge attack.

"Gallade, light up your blades with Fire Punch!" Timothy instructed.

Gallade's fists lit up into flames, and then, after extending its blades, it created blades of fire.

"Now, hit Galvantula with Close Combat!" Timothy ordered.

"Galvantula, stop it with Electro Ball!" Jeff shouted.

Galvantula shot out a yellow orb of electricity as Gallade ran at it, but Gallade dodged it and then began hitting it with its fiery blades.

After Gallade finally stopped hitting it, Galvantula looked like it could barely stand up.

"Finish it with Signal Beam!" Timothy confidently yelled.

"Galvantula's not going down without a fight! Use Sucker Punch!" Jeff directed.

Before Gallade could do anything, Galvantula jumped at it and punched it in the gut with one of its mandibles, causing Gallade some serious pain. Then, as Galvantula landed on the ground, Gallade managed to fire the multicolored beam of light from its chest at Galvantula, who was knocked out cold.

"Galvantula is unable to battle! Gallade is the winner!"

Both trainers then returned their Pokémon and each took a new Pokéball to hand. They threw them into the air and shouted, "Absol, the time to fight is now/Articuno, show yourself!"

Then, instantly, the black Absol and the legendary bird of ice appeared on the field. The crowd was in awe at the two really rare Pokémon. If Team Rocket had been there, they would've just fainted from looking at them.

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey, Meowth, you alright<em>?" Pikachu asked in Pokéspeak as Meowth lay on the ground, now fainted. Apparently a slight bit of Team Rocket was still in him, but not enough to make him ever want to rejoin.

* * *

><p>"Absol, use Dark Pulse!" Timothy ordered.<p>

Absol opened its mouth and fired a blast of shadowy circles at Articuno.

"Articuno, dodge with Agility and use Mist!" Jeff commanded.

Articuno flew out of the way of Absol's attack at a blinding speed and then released a white fog over the battlefield. Timothy and Absol were now a bit worried as they couldn't see their opponent.

"Absol, come back!" Timothy said, holding out his Pokéball and recalling his Pokémon. He knew that if he left Absol out there, it would stick out in the mist like a sore thumb.

"Gallade, the time to fight is now!" Timothy said as he threw a Pokéball into the air, causing the Psychic/Fighting-type to reappear. Gallade was hurt, but it would have better camouflage in the mist.

"Articuno, take it out with Aerial Ace!" Jeff instructed.

Then, before they knew it, Articuno suddenly came out of the mist surrounded by white streaks and hit Gallade dead on, sending it flying into the wall. Gallade sat in the concrete with swirly eyes. Articuno then disappeared in the mist once again.

"Gallade is unable to battle! Articuno is the winner!"

Timothy then switched out Gallade and threw another Pokéball into the air, shouting, "Sceptile, the time to fight is now!"

Sceptile rematerialized onto the field in front of him, looking around for its opponent, but found that it was unable to.

"Articuno, Sheer Cold!" Jeff directed.

Articuno reappeared, its body now outlined in blue. It then fired a beam of light blue energy from its mouth at Sceptile.

Sceptile was instantly frozen solid, due to the surprise attack. It then fell over and the ice shattered. Sceptile had swirls in its eyes.

"Sceptile is unable to battle! Articuno is the winner!"

Timothy looked shocked as he recalled his Sceptile. That Articuno was practically made of power and stealth. Luckily for him, however, the mist chose to disappear at that time, allowing him to see his opponent.

"Absol, the time to fight is now!" Timothy said with a newborn confidence now that he could get a better glimpse of his opponent.

The black Absol reappeared on the field and began to growl at the Articuno for taking out its teammates.

"Absol/Articuno, use Blizzard!" Both trainers yelled.

Both Pokémon opened their mouths and released a blizzard at each other. The two blizzards collided and froze together to create a large iceberg in the middle of the field.

"That's perfect!" Timothy said with a smile. "Absol, climb up to it and use Shadow Claw!"

"Articuno, use Ice Beam!" Jeff commanded.

Absol swiftly ran up the mountain of ice, dodging the light blue beams that Articuno fired at it. It then leaped from the ice and slashed at the Freeze Pokémon with a shadowy claw.

"Then, use Iron Tail!" Timothy ordered.

Absol swiftly flipped around in the air and hit Articuno with its metallic tail. It then flipped back and landed at the top of the iceberg.

"Articuno, use AncientPower!" Jeff instructed.

"Absol, counter it with Razor Wind!" Timothy directed.

Articuno fired a silver ball of energy at its opponent while the scythe on Absol's head glowed before it swung its head and released a white crescent blade of energy. The two attacks collided and the AncientPower was cut in half, but the halves continued to fly towards Absol and ended up hitting it. The iceberg completely shattered and Absol was sent flying into the air.

"Absol!" Timothy cried out.

"Articuno, finish it with Sky Attack!" Jeff yelled.

Articuno flew at it with a silver aura cloaking its body. It tackled Absol and sent it hurtling towards the ground. Absol crashed into the ground and created a cloud of dust. As the dust cleared, Absol was seen to be knocked out.

"Absol is unable to battle! Articuno is the winner! The victory goes to Jeff!"

* * *

><p>Timothy ran towards his Absol and helped it up, saying softly to it, "Thank you, Absol. You were awesome."<p>

He then saw the Articuno and its trainer walking up to him. Jeff held out his hand and said, "That was an awesome battle, my friend. I'm really impressed with that Absol. Not many Pokémon have been able to stay in battle with it for that long. Good job."

Timothy took his hand and shook it, the two now becoming friends, as all trainers should.

* * *

><p>Ash and the others suddenly heard a voice over the intercom say, "Will Walker and Zen please come down to the battlefield?"<p>

Walker got up and said, "Yes! I'm next! Time to mark my first win of the tournament!"

He then walked away with Aipom on his shoulder, and Leaf said to Gavin, "He's not very modest, is he?"

Gavin snorted and replied, "You have no idea."

"By the way, you never told us that much about him," Dawn said to Gavin. "How did you guys become such huge rivals?"

Everyone leaned in on this one, as they all wanted to hear this reason and any backstory that might come up.

"Well, you see," Gavin began. "Back when I first met Walker, about the time my family moved there, Walker was always bragging to me and my friends Ethan and Kris about how he was so much better than us because he already had gotten his first Pokémon, Aipom before he turned ten because his dad, a strong trainer, gave it to him early. He was sort of like a more annoying version of Gary back when Gary was more arrogant."

Everyone shuddered at that description. Gary glared at all of them, but then Gavin continued the story.

"Anyways, he was able to get a bit of a head start on the rest of us the day we all started our journeys. He thought that his Aipom was way stronger than any Pokémon that Professor Elm could give us, so that made it easier for me and the others to split up the three Starter Pokémon that the Professor had acquired to give us. Well, events occurred, and Totodile was stolen, so I got Pichu instead. I ran into Walker on my way to Cherrygrove City, and he challenged me to a battle. Even though Pichu and me weren't getting along yet, we both had a desire to beat Walker and Aipom, and we ended up winning. He's been angry about it ever since."

"Wow," The group said in awe. Pichu nodded and said in its own language, "_Yeah, it gets to be an obsession occasionally._"

* * *

><p>At this point, Walker was now standing on the battlefield, staring down his opponent, Zen. They both looked eager to battle.<p>

"Let the battle begin!"

"Infernape, time to win!" Zen said as he threw a ball into the air.

The Flame Pokémon appeared on the field in a flash of light. It raised its fists in the air, and started practicing its jabs and punches like a boxer.

"Let's do this, Samurott!" Walker shouted as he threw a ball to the field.

In a flash of blue, the quadruped, blue sea lion-like Unovan final form Starter Pokémon appeared on the field. It glared at Infernape and howled, causing Infernape to jump a little, but then regain its composure.

* * *

><p>"Gavin, did you know that he had a Samurott?" Misty asked.<p>

"No, but I guess I now know where he traveled before this region," Gavin said, observing his rival's newest Pokémon.

* * *

><p>"Infernape, start us off with Mach Punch!" Zen commanded.<p>

Infernape's fist glowed light blue and it then ran at Samurott with amazing speed and punched it in the face. Infernape jumped back a few feet and looked back up at its opponent. Infernape looked fearful when he saw how angry the Formidable Pokémon looked.

"Samurott, use Revenge!" Walker ordered.

Samurott unsheathed its blade and swung it at Infernape, sending it flying across the field. Infernape luckily was able to flip around in mid-air and land safely, but it still was in a good amount of pain.

"Samurott, use Swords Dance!" Walker instructed.

Samurott held out its blade, which was now glowing light purple. As the glow faded, if one squinted, they could see that the blade was now sharper.

"Infernape, use Punishment!" Zen directed.

Infernape held out its hands and send out a shadowy wind that blew at Samurott and caused it to skid back a few feet.

"Samurott, use Aqua Jet!" Walker shouted.

Samurott's body became surrounded by water, and then, it started rocketing itself towards its opponent.

"Infernape, Flare Blitz!" Zen yelled.

Infernape's body was surrounded by flames and it then torpedoed itself at Samurott. The two Pokémon met in mid-air, and after a large amount of sparks from the collision of fire and water, an explosion occurred, sending both Pokémon flying back to each of their sides of the field.

"Infernape, use Flamethrower!" Zen ordered.

"Samurott, counter it with Hydro Pump!" Walker commanded.

Infernape and Samurott each opened their mouths and released a stream of flame and a blast of water respectively. The two attacks hit each other in the middle of the field and created an explosion. Both Pokémon were extremely powerful, and neither was giving in to the other.

"Infernape, use ThunderPunch!" Zen instructed.

Infernape began running at Samurott with a fist cloaked in yellow electricity. Walker knew that he had to act fast before Samurott was hit with that super-effective move.

"Samurott, use Razor Shell!" Walker shouted.

Samurott's sword glowed a watery blue as it swung it at the oncoming Infernape. Infernape was knocked back several feet.

"Now, finish it off with Hydro Cannon!" Walker yelled.

Samurott opened its mouth and fired a powerful orb of water at Infernape. Infernape was hit before it could dodge, leaving it now knocked out.

"Infernape is unable to battle! Samurott is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"Wow, Walker's pretty good," Iris admitted.<p>

"I do detect a spicy flare in his battle style, along with a sweet aftertaste," Cilan commented, putting his connoisseur skills to work. "Thus, creating an interesting blend of strength and endurance."

* * *

><p>"Samurott, return!" Walker said as he recalled Samurott. He wanted to give some of his other Pokémon a chance to battle.<p>

"Archeops, time to win!" Zen shouted as he threw a new Pokéball into the air.

The prehistoric bird Pokémon appeared in the air and began flying around swiftly.

Walker pondered this for a moment and then took out another Pokéball, threw it into the air, and yelled, "Let's do this, Delibird!"

In a blue flash of light, a red, penguin-like creature with a sack-like tail, a patch of fluffy feathers on its chest that resembled a beard, crests on its head, a circular, white, button-like marking lower on its chest, a white face with black rings around its eyes, and light yellow feet and beak.

"De-de-de!" It said as flew around gleefully.

"Archeops, use Stone Edge!" Zen commanded.

Three blue rings circled around Archeops's body. Then, the rings glowed white and formed into chunks of gray stones. Archeops's eyes then glowed red and it launched the stones at Delibird.

"Delibird, dodge it and use Ice Shard!" Walker ordered.

"Counter it with DragonBreath!" Zen instructed.

Delibird swiftly avoided the stones and then fired a light blue ball at Archeops. Archeops then fired a blue beam of air at the ball of ice, causing it to shatter.

"Delibird, use Present!" Walker directed.

Delibird went into its bag, pulled out a shimmering orb, and threw it at Archeops. As it hit the Rock/Flying-type, it exploded, causing Archeops to fall a little before regaining its balance.

"Archeops, AncientPower!" Zen yelled.

Archeops then fired a silver orb at Delibird. Delibird attempted to dodge, but Archeops's attack was too fast, hitting it and sending it hurtling towards the ground. Delibird managed to stop itself in mid-air before it crashed, but it looked really worn out.

"Archeops, finish it off with Dragon Claw!" Zen shouted.

"Blizzard, Delibird!" Walker cried out.

Archeops started speeding towards Delibird with glowing blue claws and talons. Delibird opened its beak and released a blizzard that started to freeze up Archeops's wings. However, Archeops still kept coming, and eventually, it crashed into Delibird and due to the impact, both were knocked out.

"Neither Pokémon is able to battle! This round is a draw!"

* * *

><p>"So Walker has two Pokémon left while Zen only has one?" Dawn asked.<p>

Ash nodded and replied, "But something tells me whatever Zen saved for last is not going to be easy to beat."

* * *

><p>Walker soon brought back out his Samurott while Zen took a Pokéball from his belt with a smirk on his face.<p>

"Zoroark, time to win!" He yelled as he threw the ball into the air.

In a flash of blue light, a bipedal foxlike creature with grayish-brown fur and a red mane with black tips. It sinisterly chuckled at the sight of its opponent.

"Zoroark, Hone Claws," Zen instructed.

Zoroark held up its claws and they suddenly began to glow red and grow in length. It once again chuckled and sneered at Samurott.

"Samurott, use Razor Shell!" Walker commanded.

Samurott's blade glowed a watery blue and it started running towards the Illusion Fox Pokémon.

"Zoroark, use Night Slash!" Zen ordered.

Both of Zoroark's claw glowed crimson as it jumped at Samurott and slashed at its chest. Samurott was knocked to the ground and one could see that the blow had knocked it out.

"Samurott is unable to battle! Zoroark is the winner!"

* * *

><p>Ash and the others looked mortified. Leaf gulped and then said, "Th-that Zoroark is strong."<p>

"It was Hone Claws," Ash thought out loud. "It's a move that powers up the users Attack power."

"And with all of the damage it got from its battle with Infernape, Samurott was already worn down," Gary added.

"Now, he only has one Pokémon left," Max said as he watched the battle. "Wonder what it is?"

* * *

><p>Walker then took out his last Pokéball, tossed it to the field, and yelled, "Let's do this, Magmortar!"<p>

In a flash of light, a buffed up humanoid creature with characteristics of a duck and a mythical Salamander and arms that were like cannons appeared onto the field.

"Magmortar, use Flamethrower!" Walker shouted.

Magmortar put its arms out in front of it and fired two red-orange streams of fire from its arm cannons at Zoroark.

"The same, Zoroark!" Zen yelled.

Zoroark opened its mouth and fired a stream of flame out of it. The three streams of flame collided and created an explosion of black smoke. As the smoke cleared, both Pokémon stood there, ready for an intense battle.

* * *

><p>As the two Pokémon battled it out, Ash and the others watched the battle, eyes unwavering.<p>

"Both of them are really strong," May commented.

"And neither is giving in," Ash added.

"Who can win?" Meowth said exasperatedly.

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of attack after attack, both Pokémon looked weary, and sweat was going down both of the trainers' brows.<p>

"Zoroark, use Focus Blast!" Zen commanded.

Zoroark held out its hands and formed a light blue ball of focused energy and then fired it at its opponent.

"Deflect with ThunderPunch!" Walker instructed.

Magmortar's fist lit up with yellow electricity, and as the light blue ball came, Magmortar knocked it away with great power.

"Time to end this," Zen muttered. "Zoroark, use Night Daze!"

"Hyper Beam, Magmortar!" Walker ordered. "Both cannons full blast!"

Zoroark's eyes glowed light blue and its body became cloaked in a crimson aura. It then raised its arms above its head and brought them down to the ground, causing the aura to start to spread out across the field. Magmortar held both of its cannons up and fired two pink beams of energy surrounded by white energy. Somehow, as the beams struck the aura, the aura stopped and started to grow bigger and bigger, but not move. Suddenly, it exploded, with Zoroark trapped within it. As the smoke that it caused cleared, the Illusion Fox could be seen lying on the ground knocked out.

"Zoroark is unable to battle! Magmortar is the winner! The victory goes to Walker!"

* * *

><p>Zen and Walker shook hands while the crowd roared at such an awesome battle. Then, as they prepared the field for the final battle of the day, Walker walked back, looking triumphant at his win.<p>

"Well," Walker said slightly arrogantly. "What'd you guys think? Pretty good, right? I think that was one of my best battles yet."

"Maybe, but you might need a needle," Gavin said, causing everyone to get confused.

"Why would I need a needle?" Walker asked.

"To deflate your overly-inflated ego," Gavin said with a smirk. "There's probably enough hot air up in there to melt the polar ice caps."

Everyone laughed, and Walker glared at his rival, who just kept on smiling.

* * *

><p>The crowd looked on as two trainers stood opposite of each other on the field. They were two of the trainers that they had met the other day: Lune, one who was a bit cocky, and Vladimir, who Cilan had battled once. After their argument the other day about the winner of the tournament, both looked eager to battle each other.<p>

"Let the battle begin!" The referee announced.

"Grass-style, Tory, go!" Lune said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, a pale yellow Grass-type Pokémon similar to Ash's Bayleef back at the lab appeared onto the field.

"Surf's Up, Mr. Mime!" Vladimir said as he threw a ball to the field.

In a flash of blue, a creature with a round, white body with a red spot in the middle; light pink arms and legs connected to its body by red spheres; white, five-fingered hands; black feet that curl upward at the end, and a pink head with red cheeks and blue, frizzy hair appeared in front of him. It waved to the crowd and then did a silly face that caused everyone in the stadium to laugh.

"Alright, Mr. Mime, you can clown around later," Vladimir said with a smile. "Right now, it's battling time!"

"Mr. Mime!" Mr. Mime said with a salute.

"Get ready, Tory," Lune said to his Pokémon.

"Bay!" Tory nodded in response.

"Let's get things started!" Vladimir said enthusiastically. "Use Psybeam!"

Mr. Mime held out its hand and fired a multicolored beam of light at Bayleef.

"Tory, dodge it and use Razor Leaf!" Lune commanded.

Tory used its vines to propel off of the ground and into the air, where it fired several razor sharp leaves at its opponent.

"Mr. Mime, Light Screen!" Vladimir instructed.

Mr. Mime waved its hands out in front of it and a glass wall appeared out in front of it, blocking the leaves.

"Now, use Magical Leaf!" Vladimir ordered.

"Use Magical Leaf as well, Tory!" Lune called out.

Both Pokémon fired multiple light green glowing leaves at each other. The leaves all collided in mid-air and then fell to the ground harmlessly.

"Tory, Attract!" Lune directed.

Tory winked and shot a barrage of pink hearts at her opponent. The hearts swirled around Mr. Mime and then went inside of him.

"Mr. Mime!" Mr. Mime said, now with large, pink heart eyes.

"Mr. Mime, you've gotta fight it!" Vladimir yelled.

"Tory, run at it and while you're running, use Swords Dance!" Lune shouted.

Tory began to charge down the field, her leaf standing upright and glowing light purple as she ran.

"Mr. Mime, you've got to use a DoubleSlap-Ice Punch!" Vladimir said to his infatuated Pokémon.

"Fury Cutter, Tory!" Lune commanded.

Tory's leaf grew longer and glowed green as she neared Mr. Mime. Mr. Mime, still infatuated, managed to hold out his hands, which had started to glow light blue. Then, as they came close to each other, Tory struck Mr. Mime with her leaf and Mr. Mime slapped her with both of his icy hands. Both Pokémon winced and then fell over, both knocked out.

"Neither Pokémon is able to battle! This round is pronounced a tie!"

Vladimir and Lune both recalled their fallen Pokémon and then each threw a new Pokéball into the air.

"Water-style, Molly, go!" Lune yelled.

"Surf's up, Cherrim!" Vladimir shouted.

In a large flash of light, two Pokémon that differed in size by a lot appeared.

One was a large and beautiful cream sea serpent with red eyes, three black dots on its neck, a point at the end of its head, long red eyebrows, red-colored-hair-like fins draping from the sides of its head, a tail covered in blue and pink scales with striations of black, and four large blue scales with red spots in the middle overlapping at the tip of its tail, looking much like a fan. It floated above the field with grace and beauty.

The other was a small plant-like creature with two crossing purple petals with a short purple stem, a green leafy sepal covering, and two deep pink feet with eyes near them.

"Cherrim, use Sunny Day!" Vladimir instructed.

A white orb appeared at the end of its stem and fired into the air, causing the sun to shine brightly.

Cherrim's body suddenly glowed white and it changed from its Overcast form into its Sunshine form. It now appeared to have a skirt and hair made of pink cherry-blossom petals, radiating outward from a yellow sphere on the back of its head that resembled the center of a flower, along with a small triangular patch of green on its neck. It also had two cherry-shaped hair ornaments adorning its head and stubby pink arms and yellow legs.

"Molly, use Aqua Ring!" Lune told his Pokémon.

Water droplets formed around the Milotic's body, combining together to form three rings of water that surrounded her body. Now, she would be healed a little after every turn to combat against the type advantage.

"Cherrim, use Solarbeam!" Vladimir ordered.

The two cherries on Cherrim's head glowed white and it then fired a yellow beam of light at the opponent.

"Molly, block it with Hydro Pump!" Lune directed.

Molly opened her mouth and fired a powerful blast of water at the oncoming Solarbeam. The two attacks collided, but the Solarbeam was more powerful due to the sun, so it caused the water to dissipate and then hit Molly and knocked her to the ground. Molly got up, but one could see that she had taken a good amount of damage.

"You wanna play it that way? Fine, then. Molly, use Ice Beam!" Lune shouted.

Molly opened her mouth and a light blue ball formed in front of it. She then fired a light blue beam from the ball at her opponent.

"Cherrim, use Weather Ball!" Vladimir yelled.

Cherrim opened its mouth and fired an orange ball with fire streams at the Ice Beam. The two attacks hit each other and then exploded.

"Time to take out the weather advantage!" Lune said with a grin. "Use Rain Dance!"

Molly fired a blue orb into the sky from her tail. The sun disappeared behind dark clouds and rain began to fall from the sky. Cherrim's body suddenly glowed white and it changed back to its Overcast form.

"Molly, use Twister!" Lune commanded.

Milotic held out her tail and her tailfins began to spin like a propeller, creating a horizontal tornado that mixed with the rain to create a spiral of water. The attack hit Cherrim and knocked it back several yards.

"Cherrim, Petal Dance!" Vladimir ordered.

"Molly, knock it out with Hyper Beam!" Lune directed.

Cherrim fired a bunch of swirling pink petals at its opponent, but the Tender Pokémon just opened her mouth and fired a beam of pink energy surrounded by white energy at it. The beam disintegrated the petals and hit Cherrim dead on, sending it flying towards Vladimir. Vladimir caught it, and when he looked at it, he saw that it was knocked out.

"Cherrim is unable to battle! Milotic is the winner!"

"You did a great job, Cherrim. Take a good rest," Vladimir said as he returned it to its Pokéball. He then took out another one, threw it into the air, and yelled, "Surf's Up, Scrafty!"

In a flash of blue, the Hoodlum Pokémon appeared and glared at its opponent.

"Milotic can't move, so finish it off with Head Smash!" Vladimir shouted.

"Wait, what?" Lune said in shock.

Scrafty's body became surrounded by a whitish-blue aura, and then, it shot itself through the rain at Molly, hitting her in the head. Molly fell over and now had swirls in her eyes.

"Milotic is unable to battle! Scrafty is the winner!"

Lune grimaced at Vladimir's Pokémon as he recalled Molly and then took out another Pokéball and threw it into the air.

"Normal-style! Chuck, go!" He said as it opened up and shot out a blue light.

As the blue light faded, a large, gray, dog-like creature with a "mustache" made up of large, voluminous white-tipped plumes and light blue shaggy under-fur.

"Chuck, use Hidden Power!" Lune ordered.

The Stoutland's body became outlined in yellow and light blue circles began to circle around its body. The circles were then fired at Scrafty.

"Scrafty, Detect!" Vladimir instructed.

Scrafty's eyes glowed blue and it began dodging the Hidden Power circles flawlessly.

"Now, Hi Jump Kick!" Vladimir commanded.

Scrafty leapt into the air and its knee glowed orange-red as it struck Stoutland in the side with its knee. Stoutland yelped in pain.

"Chuck, use Fire Fang!" Lune directed.

Chuck turned around quickly, opened its mouth, which was now full of flames, and bit down onto one of Scrafty's arms, causing the Dark/Fighting-type to cringe at the burning fangs.

"Scrafty, hit it with a Dragon Claw!" Vladimir shouted.

Scrafty's other hand glowed light blue and then, it slashed it at Chuck, knocking it off.

"Chuck, Dig!" Lune yelled.

Chuck then dug underground within a few seconds, causing Scrafty to become surprised. Then, the ground moved underneath Scrafty and it was launched into the air by an unearthed Chuck.

As Scrafty continued to fly upward, Vladimir yelled out to it, "Scrafty, come down on it with a Head Smash!"

Scrafty nodded and then flipped around, its body now cloaked in a whitish-blue aura. It began hurtling towards the Big-Hearted Pokémon.

"Chuck, quick, use Giga Impact!" Lune shouted.

Chuck's body became surrounded by purple energy and orange energy streaks as it jumped into the air towards Scrafty. The two collided and caused an explosion of black smoke that sent both of them flying towards the ground.

As the smoke cleared, everyone could see Scrafty was barely still standing while Chuck had been knocked out cold.

"Stoutland is unable to battle! Scrafty is the winner! The victory goes to Vladimir!"

* * *

><p>Vladimir and Scrafty went over together and shook handspaws with Lune and Stoutland as the crowd was in an uproar over their amazing battle. Every battle just seemed to get better and better.

"What a marvelous day of battles!" Mr. Battrio said through the loudspeaker. "Hopefully tomorrow's battles will just as good if not better! Until then, a good night to all of you!"

* * *

><p>Later, after they finally managed to get out the stadium, Ash and the others began walking towards the Pokémon Center for the night. The previous night, Leaf had stayed with the girls in their room and was to do so again that night.<p>

"So, Leaf," Gary said with a slight smirk, "We get to finally see you battle tomorrow. I wonder how you'll do."

"You'll have to wait and see, Mr. Oak," Leaf said with a sly smile. "You'll have to wait and see."

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 33: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 4: Leaf's Debut!"<span>_- Now that Ash and the others have met up with Leaf, they get to see exactly how well she battles in her first round battle as the first round comes to a close. But will she be able to win against a tough opponent? And how will the other battles fare? Find out in the next exciting chapter of Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**And there you have it! 3/4 of the first round is done! One more chapter and we'll finally move on to round 2! I hope you liked it! Read and Review!**

**Once again, I apologize to those whose OCs lost this chapter: the creator of Sean, Tbroome, mananangal24, and Lunick's Styler. I wish that you guys could've won, but again, the battles were randomized. However, I am allowing you all the opportunity to have your ocs appear in the eventual sequel. I hope that you are not angry with me, and I hope that the battles were to your liking despite the outcomes.  
><strong>

**By the way, I have a poll of my profile. I'm trying to decide on the three Pokemon themes that will "play" as Ash battles another trainer in a 6-on-6 battle around the beginning of my upcoming movie fanfic, "Kyurem and the Hero's Sword." So, please, vote.**

**Speaking of that, I will begin writing and posting that as soon as I get to a certain point in this story. Chapter 40 will be the last chapter of the tournament, and I will start the movie after Chapter 45 is posted. I know it seems a long way away, but now that I'm on Winter Break, I'm going to attempt to put as much time as I can into typing up the chapters. And once round is over, it will go by much faster. So I hope that you all continue to enjoy the tournament!**

**And now, it is time to award the infinite props to those who guessed #32's identity!**

**1). Nightlover2**

**2). darkmachines**

**3). Trentavious Phoenix**

**4). Mach69, or as he is now called, WetWing68**

**5). Purrich**

**6). A.M.P 1008**

**7). Darkiceflame  
><strong>

**So congrats, and infinite props to you! Until next time, see ya!  
><strong>


	33. Chapter 33

**Hey, guys! Here's Chapter 33! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 33: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 4: Leaf's Debut!"_

It was early in the morning when Leaf woke up and found that all of the other girls were still fast asleep. She sat up, yawned, and stretched as quietly as to not wake them up.

After showering, getting dressed, and grabbing her bag, she headed outside to get some fresh air before breakfast. As she stepped out the door, however, one of the Pokéballs in her bag opened up by itself, revealing a small, pink creature with wide, blue eyes.

"Jiggly!" Jigglypuff said happily.

"Oh, hey, there, Jigglypuff," Leaf said with a smile as she rubbed her Pokémon's head. "Did you get a good sleep last night?"

"Puff!" Jigglypuff nodded. Then, Jigglypuff tilted its head as Leaf reached into her bag and pulled out three Pokéballs.

"Hey, Jigglypuff," Leaf said, giving a determined grin to her Pokémon, "Why don't we give our friends here a chance to stretch before our battle later?"

"Jiggly!" Jigglypuff said, smiling and nodding. The two then walked off to the park.

* * *

><p>"Welcome all to the fourth day of the Kafue Town Battle Tournament!" Mr. Battrio said to an extremely loud and cheering crowd.<p>

"Today, we will be initiating the final four battles of Round One. So, without further ado, let's get battling!"

The crowd grew even louder as the battles grew close to beginning.

* * *

><p>"So, Leaf, you ready for your battle?" Ash asked his childhood friend, who sat next to him and May.<p>

Leaf nodded and replied, "As ready as I'll ever be."

"You'll do fine," May said, beaming. May and Leaf had really hit it off in the last two days. In fact, everyone was getting along with the Pallet Town native. She was just that likeable.

"And we'll be cheering for you all the way," Dawn said encouragingly.

"So just do your best and you can win!" Gavin added.

"Pika!" "Pi-chu!" "Plup!" "Ai-pom!" The Pokémon all agreed.

"I'm sure Gary will be cheering for you the most," Misty said with a sly grin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gary asked.

"Oh, don't tell me that he's as dense as Ash," Iris said, her hand on her forehead.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Ash said, a little irritated now.

"Calm down, Ash," Cilan said, trying to keep the peace.

"No need to get excited," Brock and Tracey said in unison.

Meowth sighed and said, "Will the battle just start already? These guys are givin' me a headache."

* * *

><p>At this time, the first two competitors of the day stood on opposite ends of the battlefield at the bottom of the stadium. Jim Alraik looked happy as he cracked his knuckles menacingly while Kory shook nervously, full of fear.<p>

"Let the battle begin!" The referee said, holding up both of the flags.

"War, time to crack some skulls!" Jim said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, a tremendous, quadruped tank-like creature appeared onto the field with a thud. It appeared to be made of turquoise-colored metal, had a discus-shaped main body as its head, and as the head lied at the center point where its legs branched out, it gave off the impression of a mechanized arachnid. A metallic cross or "X" feature on its face, along with the placement of its two red eyes, made it look as if it had metallic "eyebrows" and a metallic "mustache."

"Meta-gross!" The Iron Leg Pokémon growled aggressively.

Kory flinched at the sight of the large opponent, but then calmed himself down, smiled, and took out a Pokéball. He threw it to the field and yelled, "Slide on in, Serperior!"

In an instant, the familiar-looking Regal Grass Snake Pokémon appeared, ready for the battle at hand.

"This should be easy," Jim said with a sneer. "War, start off with Agility!"

War's metal legs lifted up and clipped onto its literal "chrome dome." It then began to float in the air and fly around at a high speed.

"Now, hit it with a Bullet Punch!" Jim commanded.

War's legs glowed red and it began to spin on its side, heading straight towards Serperior.

"Serperior, wrap up its legs with Vine Whip!" Kory instructed.

Two light green vines were released from Serperior's collar and they wrapped themselves around all four of War's legs, stopping its attack completely.

"What!" Jim said, completely in shock.

"Good! Now, use Glare!" Kory ordered.

Serperior's eyes glowed red and War groaned with several yellow sparks circulating its body.

"No, War!" Jim said angrily.

"Serperior, let's send it back to its ball with Dragon Tail!" Kory directed.

Serperior's tail glowed light blue as it let go of War and swung its tail at it, sending it flying all of the way back to its Pokéball.

Jim looked surprised as this happened, and looked even more surprised when one of his other Pokéballs opened up, releasing a red creature that looked like a mixture between a crab and a praying mantis onto the field.

"Sci-zor!" It cried out before looking around in confusion.

"Huh? Shredder, what are you doing out?" Jim asked.

* * *

><p>"What was that?" Max asked.<p>

"It's called Dragon Tail," Iris answered. "It's a Dragon technique where the user hits its opponent with its tail and sends it flying back to its ball, causing another team member to be switched out in its place."

* * *

><p>"Oh, whatever, we'll crush them anyways, right, Shredder?" Jim said with a sneer.<p>

Shredder nodded and gave a wry smile to the Grass-type on the other side of the field.

"Serperior, return!" Kory suddenly said, recalling Serperior back to its ball.

"What are you doing, punk?" Jim asked, highly annoyed at the kid who had pranked him a few days before.

"I just wanted to send out someone to take care of your Scizor," Kory said, more confident than he had been beforehand. He then took out another Pokéball, threw it into the air, and shouted, "Slide on in, Hitmonchan!"

In a flash of blue, a tan-colored, human-shaped creature appeared on the field. Its body resembled a light purple tunic with a kilt and its fists were red boxing gloves. Its shoulders looked like it was wearing shoulder pads and its purple feet gave the appearance of a pair of boxing shoes.

"Hitmonchan, Mach Punch!" Kory commanded.

Hitmonchan's fist glowed blue as it gathered up energy. Then, it punched the air, making a huge see-through boxing glove come out and head straight towards Shredder. The hit landed, and Shredder was sent flying back several yards.

"Now, hit it with Comet Punch!" Kory ordered.

Hitmonchan swiftly ran towards Shredder and then hit it with a flurry of punches.

"Good job! It's time to knock it out with Fire Punch!" Kory instructed.

Hitmonchan's fist erupted into flames as it punched Shredder in the jaw. Shredder's body erupted into flames and then it fell to the ground.

"Yeah! We did it!" Kory said gleefully.

"You'd think so wouldn't you?" Jim said with a sinister sneer.

"Huh?" Kory said, looking back at the field. He was scared stiff at what he saw. Shredder was standing up on its feet, rubbing its burnt chin angrily.

"Now it's our turn," Jim said malevolently. "Shredder, use X-Scissor!"

Shredder's claws glowed blue and it crossed them into an "X" as it slashed down upon Hitmonchan. Hitmonchan stumbled back several feet.

"Metal Claw!" Jim shouted.

Shredder crossed its pincers as it jumped at its opponent. Both pincers became surrounded by a gray aura and gray static appeared around them. As it reached Hitmonchan, Shredder brought its claws forward and slammed them together in front of it, creating a large gray energy ball that shot lightning bolts at Hitmonchan, sending it flying into the air.

"Finish it off with Aerial Ace!" Jim yelled.

Shredder flew up into the air, its body surrounded by white streaks, and slammed into Hitmonchan, causing it to hurtle to the ground below.

"Hitmonchan!" Kory cried out as his Pokémon hit the ground.

"Chan," a dazed Hitmonchan said as it lied on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Hitmonchan is unable to battle! Scizor is the winner!"

Kory returned Hitmonchan to its ball and then called Serperior back out. Serperior glared with animosity towards the Scizor and its trainer.

"Shredder, take care of that snake with a Bullet Punch attack!" Jim said with a smirk.

Shredder began flying towards Serperior with a glowing red claw.

"Serperior, Leaf Blade!" Kory ordered.

Serperior's tail sprig glowed green as it swung its tail at Shredder, knocking it to the ground.

"What?" Jim said, surprised.

"Leaf Tornado!" Kory commanded.

"Block it with Metal Claw!" Jim instructed.

Shredder attempted to block the green tornado that had been sent by Serperior from its tail with its gray-glowing claws, but the tornado hit it before it could properly prepare its block. Shredder was sent flying into the air.

"Knock it out with Twister!" Kory directed.

Serperior held up its tail and fired a light purple cyclone at the airborne Scissor Pokémon, causing to spin around and around until it was completely dizzy. Shredder fell to the ground, now knocked unconscious.

"Scizor is unable to battle! Serperior is the winner!"

Jim growled as he recalled Scizor back to its ball and then took out a ball and threw it into the air, yelling, "Really crack its skull this time, War!"

In a blue flash, the Iron Leg Pokémon rematerialized onto the field, looking at Serperior angrily, like it wanted revenge.

"War, Rest!" Jim called out.

War suddenly went straight to sleep, causing Kory and Serperior to become confused.

* * *

><p>"Why'd he have Metagross go to sleep?" Walker thought out loud.<p>

"I don't know," Ash said with a grimace. "But I have a funny feeling about this."

"Pika," Pikachu nodded, agreeing with its trainer.

* * *

><p>"Okay, then. Serperior, use Leaf Storm!" Kory shouted.<p>

Serperior held out its tail and fired a barrage of glowing green leaves at its sleeping opponent.

"War, use Sleep Talk!" Jim yelled.

Surprisingly, War, who was still asleep, floated out of the way of Serperior's attack and then, War's head glowed blue and it struck Serperior with a flying headbutt.

"That was Zen Headbutt!" Kory said in shock. "But how? Metagross is still asleep!"

"It's the power of Sleep Talk, punk," Jim said with a sneer. "Now, another Sleep Talk, War!"

All four of War's legs glowed white as they struck Serperior with great force. It was Hammer Arm.

"Take it out with Hyper Beam, War!" Jim said with a gloating look on his face.

War, who had woken up at that exact moment, fired a pink beam of energy surrounded by white energy from the "X" on its face at Serperior, causing a huge explosion. As the dust cleared, Serperior could be seen to have been knocked out.

"Serperior is unable to battle! Metagross is the winner!"

Kory gritted his teeth as he returned Serperior into its ball and pulled out his third and final Pokémon.

"Slide on in, Wartortle!" He said as he threw it to the field.

In a bright blue flash of light, a tailed bipedal, indigo-blue turtle-like creature with a brown shell and a long, furry tail and ears appeared onto the field.

"War-tor-tle!" It said with a tough demeanor.

Jim chuckled for a moment and then laughed, yelling out, "That's your final Pokémon? A turtle with fur? This'll be too easy! War, use Meteor Mash!"

A silhouette of a golden meteor appeared around one of War's feet as it aimed a punch at Wartortle.

"Wartortle, use Counter!" Kory shouted.

Wartortle's body became outlined in an orange glow as War struck it. The glow then blasted back the attack, causing it to hit War itself and sent the Steel/Psychic-type flying across the field until it landed in front of Jim. Due to the power of the attack, War had been knocked out instantly.

"Metagross is unable to battle! Wartortle is the winner!"

Jim recalled War back to its Pokéball in a flash of red light, but then, however, something both sinister and surprising occurred. He chuckled ominously.

"That was smart, punk, I'll give ya that," He said as he pulled out his final Pokéball from his belt. "But it all ends here. Destroyer, time to crack some skulls!"

In a flash of blue light, an Aggron appeared onto the field, roaring menacingly. However, this Aggron looked way more powerful than any Aggron seen before.

"Destroyer here is my battle partner and my prime fighter," Jim said with a grin. "He's undefeated."

"We'll see about that!" Kory said, determined to win. "Wartortle, use Aqua Tail!"

Wartortle's tail glowed light blue as it spun around and a spiral of water came out of it. Wartortle then flipped in the air and aimed its tail at Destroyer.

"Destroyer, Rock Polish and then Iron Tail!" Jim commanded.

Destroyer's body glowed white and then, with surprising speed, struck Wartortle down to the ground with a metallically-glowing tail.

"Wartortle, Rapid Spin!" Kory ordered.

Wartortle put all of its limbs into its shell and it began spinning like a disc until it broke out of its place under Destroyer's tail.

"Brick Break!" Jim instructed.

Destroyer's arms glowed white as it brought them both down on Wartortle and sent it flying back to its place in front of Kory. Wartortle got out of its shell and struggled to get up.

"Wartortle, use Skull Bash!" Kory yelled.

Wartortle's body was surrounded by a silver aura as it flew head first at Destroyer.

"Head Smash, Destroyer!" Jim directed.

The Iron Armor Pokémon's body became surrounded by a whitish-bluish aura as it charged towards its opponent. The two collided, but Destroyer proved stronger as Wartortle's attack faltered and broke off seconds after impact. It floated in the air directly in front of Destroyer like it was in slow motion.

"Take it out with the Three-Punch Combo!" Jim shouted with sinister glee.

Destroyer pulled a fist back, which ignited into flames, and punched Wartortle. Strangely enough, however, it didn't move from the place it was floating in. Then, Destroyer punched it with its other fist, which was glowing an icy light blue, but Wartortle still didn't move. Finally, Destroyer held up both arms, both fists now cloaked in yellow electricity, and struck it down to the ground, where Wartortle shell caused it to fly back slightly above the ground until its shell skipped against the ground. Eventually, Wartortle hit the dirt and skidded to a stop in front of its trainer. Wartortle had swirls in its eyes.

"Wartortle is unable to battle! Aggron is the winner! The victory goes to Jim!"

* * *

><p>Jim and Destroyer gloated in front of a partially-cheering-partially-booing crowd while Kory sadly picked up his Wartortle and carried it off the field. As Kory was about to walk back to his seat, he was stopped by Walker, who had Aipom on his shoulder.<p>

"Don't feel bad, kid," Walker said with a smile. "You did great. That guy was a jerk anyways. You'll beat him next time."

Kory sniffed, wiped his nose, smiled up at Walker, and said, "Thanks."

"No problem," Walker said with a grin.

* * *

><p>Walker then walked back to his seat, feeling that he had done a good thing. And now, it looked like it was Leaf's turn to battle.<p>

"Knock 'em dead," Gary told her.

"You've got it," Leaf said with a wink as she got up and started making her way down to the battlefield.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, Leaf stood on the field, and on the opposite side of the field stood one Karl Seeger, who had been pointed out to the group the other day by Fermin. Both trainers looked ready for a good battle.<p>

"Let the battle begin!"

"Gallade, Battle-On!" Karl said as he threw a ball into the air.

In a flash of light, the Blade Pokémon appeared in a strong fighting stance.

Leaf smiled, took out a Pokéball from her bag, and then tossed into the air.

"It's time to shine, Dusknoir!" She said as the ball opened up and released a flash of light.

In that light, a ghostly creature appeared on the field. Its body was black and it had two almond-shaped eye-like markings and a yellow horizontal zigzag line on its torso. It also had two fully developed arms with two yellow bands near its black wrists and gray hands. It had a gray, cylinder-shaped head with another yellow band near the top and a single black glaring eye with a yellow iris and a red pupil. The tattered fringes of Dusknoir's lapels converged into a shawl collar on its upper chest. It also had a ghostly tail instead of legs and a yellow antenna on the top of its head.

"Gallade, let's start off with Charge Beam!" Karl commanded.

Gallade fired a beam of yellow electricity from its chest at Dusknoir.

"Dusknoir, stop it with Shadow Ball!" Leaf ordered.

Dusknoir's stomach opened like a mouth, and a shadowy orb formed inside of it. Dusknoir then fired the orb from its stomach at Gallade's attack. The two attacks collided and created an explosion of black smoke.

"Now, Dusknoir, use Shadow Punch!" Leaf instructed.

Before Gallade could do anything, Dusknoir held out its arms and fired two shadowy fists at it. Gallade was hit and knocked back several yards. Gallade was still able to stand up, however.

"Gallade, Defense Combo Alpha!" Karl yelled.

Gallade suddenly created copies of itself using Double Team. Then, it and all of its copies glowed in a multicolored light and teleported. They all reappeared all around Dusknoir, in the air, on the ground, even behind it.

"X-Scissor!" Karl shouted.

All of the Gallades crossed their arms and their blade-like forearms all lit up in a light blue glow, creating glowing "X" patterns. They all then started charging at the Gripper Pokémon.

It looked like Dusknoir was in big trouble, but Leaf just put on a sly smile and said, "Dusknoir, Trick Room, please!"

Dusknoir's eye glowed red and a large, light blue rectangle with walls and a ceiling appeared around the entire battlefield. The walls and ceiling then instantly faded.

"Now, use Shadow Sneak!" Leaf directed.

In amazing speed, Dusknoir's shadow extended and branched out into multiple shadowy tentacles that attacked each and every one of the Gallade copies and caused them to all disappear until only the real Gallade remained.

"Dusknoir, Dark Pulse!" Leaf commanded.

Dusknoir's stomach-mouth opened and fired a barrage of shadowy circles at the lone Gallade, who was knocked down to the ground. Despite this, Gallade managed to get up, and now, its blades were both glowing a deep crimson.

"You activated my Gallade's ability, Justified," Karl said with a smirk. "It powers up the user's Attack if it has been hit with a Dark-type move. Now it's time to go all out! Gallade, use Night Slash!"

Gallade's blades glowed a sinister red as it started heading towards Dusknoir.

"Dusknoir, stop it with Shadow Ball!" Leaf ordered.

Dusknoir's stomach opened up and it fired a shadowy orb at its opponent.

"Gallade, Endure!" Karl quickly yelled.

Gallade was struck by the super-effective move, but its endurance kept it going. Now, it was right in front of Dusknoir, ready to strike.

"Finish it!" Karl shouted.

"Dusknoir, use Ice Punch!" Leaf instructed.

Dusknoir's fist glowed light blue as it jabbed at Gallade, who slashed at it with Night Slash. The two attacks collided, and an explosion occurred that had enough power to even shatter the Trick Room completely. As the smoke cleared, everyone could see that both Pokémon were knocked out.

"Neither side's Pokémon is able to battle! This round is pronounced a tie!"

* * *

><p>"Wow, Leaf's really good," Ash commented.<p>

"Yeah, but so is that Karl guy," Max added.

"You can do this Leaf," Gary muttered quietly so that no one could hear him.

* * *

><p>Both trainers then each pulled out another Pokéball and threw it into the air.<p>

"Grotle, Battle-On!" (Karl)

"It's time to shine, Ninetales!" (Leaf)

In a large flash of blue, two Pokémon appeared on the field. One was a large, bulky green turtle with bushes on its back, and the other was a golden foxlike creature with nine tails, each tipped orange, a fluffy crest atop its head with a similar ruff around its neck, and gleaming red eyes.

"Grotle, use Seed Bomb!" Karl commanded.

Grotle opened its mouth and fired multiple white seeds from its mouth at its opponent.

"Ninetales, use Flamethrower!" Leaf ordered.

Ninetales released a stream of flame from its mouth at the opponent's attack, causing all of the seeds to explode.

"Now, Ninetales, use Psyshock!" Leaf instructed.

Blue-and-purple blobs of psychic energy appeared around Ninetales and then, they were hurled at Grotle.

"Grotle, use Stealth Rock to block it!" Karl directed.

Several silver glitters circled Grotle's body and then shot out at Ninetales's attack, destroying it completely.

"Grotle, now! Use Substitute!" Karl shouted.

An image of Grotle appeared next to it and Grotle ran back over to Karl. Leaf pondered this new circumstance for a moment, and then a grin appeared onto her face.

"Ninetales, use Sunny Day!" Leaf yelled.

Ninetales opened its mouth and shot an orange orb into the sky, causing the sun to become intensely bright.

"Huh? What's that going to do?" Karl thought out loud. "Well, Grotle, you might as well make the most of this with Synthesis."

Grotle's body then began to shine with white sparkles as it healed itself.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Leaf said slyly. "Ninetales, use Flame Charge!"

Ninetales's body became cloaked in intense flame, which had been powered-up by Sunny Day. It then swiftly ran at the substitute and tackled it, causing it to disappear. However, instead of stopping, Ninetales kept going and slammed into Grotle, who now took a lot of damage.

"Grotle, use Superpower!" Karl ordered.

"Ninetales, use Fire Blast!" Leaf commanded.

Grotle's body took on a blue outline, but before it could attack, Ninetales fired a five-pointed blast of fire at Grotle. Grotle was sent flying into the wall, where it was knocked out by the impact.

"Grotle is unable to battle! Ninetales is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"She's doing awesome!" Misty cheered.<p>

"Yeah! One more to go!" Iris added.

"I wonder what it is, though," Walker thought out loud.

* * *

><p>After recalling Grotle, Karl took out his final Pokéball, threw it into the air, and yelled, "Beedrill, Battle-On!"<p>

In a quick blue flash, the Poison Bee Pokémon appeared in the air. It looked pretty tough with its sharp and gleaming stingers.

"Ninetales, return!" Leaf suddenly said, recalling her powerful Fire-type Pokémon.

* * *

><p>"Wait, why is she pulling back Ninetales?" Dawn asked. "Fire-type Pokémon beat Bug-type Pokémon.<p>

"Yeah, but she's probably wary of that Beedrill's attack power and wants something to combat it," Gavin said knowingly.

"Pi-chu!" Pichu smiled as it watched the intense battle.

* * *

><p>"It's time to shine, Fearow!" Leaf said as she threw another Pokéball into the air.<p>

In a flash of light, the large, brown Beak Pokémon appeared in the air, looking strong and fast. However, this Fearow looked strangely familiar.

* * *

><p>"Could that be…," Ash muttered, looking wary at the Fearow. He gulped and said, "I sure hope not."<p>

"Pika!" Pikachu yelped as it suddenly hid itself in May's lap.

"What's up with you two?" May asked.

"Nothing," Ash said, shaking a bit.

"Pika-pika-chu-pika," Pikachu said in a muffled voice from May's lap. ("Just bad memories.")

* * *

><p>"Beedrill, use Ominous Wind!" Karl instructed.<p>

Beedrill rapidly flapped its wings and created a purple wind that it sent flying at Fearow.

"Fearow, fly through it and use Drill Peck!" Leaf directed.

Fearow easily flew through the ineffective Ghost-type attack and its beak started spinning like a drill as it neared its target.

"Beedrill, use Flash!" Karl shouted.

Beedrill's body suddenly lit up in a bright light that momentarily blinded Fearow.

"Now, use Solarbeam!" Karl yelled.

Beedrill fired a yellow beam of solar energy at one of Fearow's wings, causing it to start to fall to the ground.

"Fearow, try to regain your balance!" Leaf commanded.

Fearow pulled up as best it could until it was able to level out and regain its flight ability.

"Beedrill, Fury Combo!" Karl ordered.

Beedrill's stingers glowed red from its Fury Cutter as it flew at Fearow and then began to repeatedly sting Fearow with the speed from its Fury Attack.

"Fearow, use Steel Wing to hit it away!" Leaf instructed.

Fearow's wings gave off a metallic shine as it knocked Beedrill away with them.

"Beedrill, Payback!" Karl directed.

Beedrill aimed both of its stingers at Fearow as it rammed into it and knocked it towards the ground.

'_Gotta do something_,' Leaf frantically thought. '_But what_?' Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. "Fearow use Aerial Ace towards the ground!"

Fearow, though confused, nodded and flew down towards the ground, its body surrounded by white streaks.

"Now, use Drill Run!" Leaf shouted.

Fearow's body began spinning like a drill, causing the Aerial Ace to turn into a white tornado around its body as it went into the ground.

"What?" Karl said in shock.

Then, under Beedrill, Fearow emerged from the ground, its body still cloaked by the white tornado as it struck Beedrill in the gut, sending it flying. Beedrill finally fell to the ground and landed in front of its trainer with swirls in its eyes.

"Beedrill is unable to battle! Fearow is the winner! The victory goes to Leaf!"

* * *

><p>The crowd erupted into a loud cheer after witnessing the intense battle. Leaf and Karl shook hands, both having experienced an awesome match. Then, after recalling her Pokémon, Leaf ran back to the others who patted her on the back and hugged her after a job well done.<p>

"Hey, Leaf?" Ash began as Leaf sat back down, "Where exactly did you catch that Fearow?"

"In Route 1, just outside of Pallet Town," Leaf answered.

"Was it the leader of a huge flock of Spearow?" Ash asked.

"Uh, yeah," Leaf said, a bit confused as to how Ash knew that. "Why do you ask?"

"Um, no reason," Ash said, now sweating a bit. Pikachu cuddled even closer into May's lap. Brock, Misty, and even Meowth also looked kind of nervous. Everyone else was really confused by their behavior, but they all just shrugged it off and got ready to watch the next battle.

* * *

><p>Now, it was time for the second to last match of the first round of the tournament between Orange, the boy with the shiny Gengar that the others had met the day before the tournament began, and Joe, the entrepreneur that was currently talking on his phone while standing on the field. Finally, after he finished the call, the battle could begin.<p>

"Let the battle begin!"

"Agent X, out of the shadows!" Orange said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

Instantly, a vaguely avian creature with an egg-shaped body appeared onto the field. It was covered in white, downy feathers and had broad, triangle-shaped wings. Its underbelly had small red and blue triangular spots, its small feet were very close together, and it had a three-pointed head crest, the left and right spikes tipped in blue and red respectively.

"Tyranitar, onto business!" Joe said as he took a ball out of his briefcase and threw it into the air.

In a flash, a large, green dinosaur-like creature with many spikes all over its body and tail, holes on its chest, knees, and back, two blue rhombus-shaped pieces of armor on its chest and back, and large fangs and claws. It roared at the Togekiss that stood across the field.

"Tyranitar, use Stone Edge!" Joe commanded.

Two light blue rings appeared around Tyranitar's body. The rings disappeared and two rings of white glowing rocks appeared in their place. Tyranitar's eyes glowed red and the rocks were fired at the Jubilee Pokémon.

"Agent X, dodge it with ExtremeSpeed!" Orange instructed.

As the rocks came close to it, Agent X flew up and out of the way at a blinding speed. Seconds later, it could be seen in the air, flying above the field.

"Agent X, use Aura Sphere!" Orange ordered.

Agent X put its wings together and created a blue ball of energy. It then fired it at its opponent.

"Tyranitar, block it with Sandstorm!" Joe directed.

Tyranitar swung its arm to the side, and a cyclone of sand formed from the ground and blocked the Aura Sphere, causing it to shatter.

"Agent X, break up that Sandstorm with Air Slash!" Orange shouted.

Agent X held up one of its wings and a light blue energy ball appeared on the end of it. Agent X then threw it at the Sandstorm, causing it to rupture and disperse onto the ground.

"Tyranitar, use Dark Pulse!" Joe yelled.

Tyranitar opened its mouth and fired a barrage of dark circles at Agent X, who attempted to dodge, but was hit in the wing at the last second, causing it to plummet to the ground below.

"Now, run at it and catch it with Thunder Fang!" Joe called out.

Tyranitar quickly stomped over to where Agent X was to land and opened up its mouth, revealing fangs that now sparked with yellow electricity.

"Agent X, use ExtremeSpeed to dodge it, land, and then get back up in the air again!" Orange commanded.

And with those strangely specific instructions and blinding speed, Agent X did just that. Before Tyranitar could do anything, Agent X was already back up in the air again.

"Tyranitar, take it out with Hyper Beam!" Joe ordered.

Tyranitar opened its mouth and released a pink beam of energy surrounded by white energy at Agent X.

"Dodge it!" Orange instructed.

With great ease, Agent X dodged the powerful beam of energy and then prepared to launch a full-scale attack on the immobile reptile.

"Agent X, Rapid-Fire Aura Sphere!" Orange directed.

Agent X began spinning around in the air, and from its mouth, it launched Aura Sphere after Aura Sphere, causing Tyranitar to scream in pain as it was bombarded by the super-effective attacks.

"Now finish it off with Sky Attack!" Orange yelled.

Cloaked in a harsh white aura, Agent X flew at Tyranitar and tackled it in the gut, knocking it both over and out with a loud thud.

"Tyranitar is unable to battle! Togekiss is the winner!"

Joe then quickly recalled Tyranitar and took another Pokéball out of his case.

"Electivire, onto business!" He shouted as he threw it into the air.

Appearing onto the field now was a yellow humanoid creature with black stripes, five black fingers on each hand, a black spot on its forehead, antennae on its head, two red-tipped black tails, black feet with three toes in the front, red eyes, and a pattern on its back resembling an electrical outlet.

"Electivire, take out the bird with a ThunderPunch if you will," Joe said, currently focused on his PDA.

"_Take it out_?" Orange said in disbelief.

The Thunderbolt Pokémon smiled, ran up to Agent X with speed that you wouldn't believe, and punched it with a fist cloaked in yellow electricity. Agent X cried out as the electricity coursed through its body, causing it intense pain. It then fell to the ground, unconscious with swirls in its eyes.

"Togekiss is unable to battle! Electivire is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"Whoa, that thing is fast and powerful!" Walker said in shock while they watched Orange return Agent X to its Pokéball. "It took out Togekiss in one hit!"<p>

"I wonder how Orange is going to deal with that kind of speed and strength," Ash thought out loud.

"Chu," Pikachu nodded as he scratched his head, looking for the answer as well.

* * *

><p>"Gengar, out of the shadows!" Orange said as he took out another ball and threw it to the field.<p>

In a flash of light, the shiny Gengar appeared on the field. It maliciously chuckled with delight when it saw its opponent. Electivire frowned and grew a little irritated.

"Electivire, use Thunderbolt!" Joe commanded.

Electivire released a blast of yellow electricity at its sinister-looking opponent.

"Gengar, dodge and use Hypnosis!" Orange ordered.

Gengar had that familiar, creepy-looking grin on its face as it phased into the ground. The Electric attack hit the ground where it had been harmlessly, not doing a thing. Gengar then came out of the ground, frightening Electivire. Its eyes began to glow red, and it released a hypnotic wave of black circles at its opponent, causing the Electric-type to become drowsy, eventually falling to the ground with a thud. Everyone could hear the loud snores of the now fast asleep Electivire.

"Now, use Dream Eater!" Orange instructed with a smirk.

Gengar then released a shadow-like version of itself at its sleeping opponent. The shadow went through it and sucked away its energy. Electivire immediately woke up, looking very angry.

"Use Thunder!" Joe directed.

"The same, Gengar!" Orange told his Pokémon.

Both Pokémon released powerful blasts of yellow electricity at each other. The two attacks collided and exploded, creating a cloud of black smoke.

"Gengar, quick, before the smoke clears, use Shadow Ball!" Orange yelled.

Being a Pokémon that is used to seeing in the dark, Gengar could see straight through the fog of black smoke. So, it formed an orb of shadow in its hands and fired it through the fog. Electivire was struck directly in the gut and fell to the ground, causing such a mighty thud that the smoke was cleared instantly. As the final wisp of smoke disappeared, everyone could see that Electivire had fainted.

"Electivire is unable to battle! Gengar is the winner!"

At this point, both trainers recalled their Pokémon. They each then took out their third Pokéball and threw it into the air, each of them shouting: "Alakazam, onto business!/Nippy, out of the shadows!"

In a large flash of light, a brown, mustachioed-humanoid creature holding a sliver spoon in each hand and a small, cream-colored mouse-like creature with blue ears, cheeks with minus signs in the middle, forepaws, and minus sign-shaped tail appeared on the field.

* * *

><p>Dawn nervously shivered at the sight of the small, mouse-like Pokémon on the field. She then hid her face in Gavin's chest. The later did not know whether to enjoy this or be confused by it.<p>

"What's up with her?" Iris asked.

"Dawn's never really been on good terms with Plusle and Minun," Brock explained. It had been a plausible question as only he and Ash had seen the blunette exhibit this type of behavior before.

"What do you mean?" May inquired.

"Why don't you ask _Dee Dee_ herself?" Ash said with a chuckle.

Dawn groaned into Gavin's chest. The brown-haired trainer made a note to ask her about it in private later.

* * *

><p>"Nippy, use Nasty Plot!" Orange commanded.<p>

An evil grin full of malice appeared on the Minun's face as it rubbed its hands together sinisterly. Alakazam looked kind of nervous and frightened at the sight of the evil-looking Cheering Pokémon.

"Alakazam, use Psybeam!" Joe ordered.

Alakazam crossed its spoons and released a multicolored beam from them at Nippy.

"Nippy, dodge it with Agility!" Orange instructed.

Nippy's body vanished and then reappeared out of the way of the Psychic attack.

"Use Psycho Cut!" Joe directed.

Alakazam raised its spoons and began slashing them through the air repeatedly, sending light blue crescent blades out at Nippy.

"Dodge and then use Thunder!" Orange shouted.

Nippy used the speed from its Agility to dodge all of the crescents and then, it released a powerful blast of yellow electricity at Alakazam.

"Block it with Light Screen!" Joe yelled.

Alakazam's eyes glowed yellow and five glowing yellow walls appeared around it, forming a box around its entire body.

"Nippy, come back!" Orange said, quickly recalling the Electric-type back to its ball. He then took out another ball, threw it into the air, and said, "Gengar, out of the shadows!"

The shiny Gengar instantly rematerialized onto the field.

"Use Brick Break!" Orange commanded.

"Stop it with Psybeam!" Joe ordered.

Alakazam launched a multicolored beam at its ghostly foe, but Gengar dodged it with ease as it flew over towards it and broke the Light Screen box with a glowing white arm.

"Finish it with Shadow Ball!" Orange instructed.

Alakazam stuttered as Gengar loomed above it. A shadowy orb formed in Gengar's hand, and it then tossed it at Alakazam, causing a huge explosion that knocked the Psi Pokémon out.

"Alakazam is unable to battle! Gengar is the winner! The victory goes to Orange!"

* * *

><p>The crowd then began to cheer while Orange and Joe shook hands after a good battle. However, Joe soon got a call on his cell and walked off, leaving Orange and Gengar there scratching their heads.<p>

* * *

><p>Back with the group, all of them were highly anticipating the final battle of the first round.<p>

"So it's between Tommy and Afeleon," Ash said as he and the others watched the two trainers take their places on the field. "I wonder who'll win?"

* * *

><p>It was now finally time for the final battle…of the first round. On one side of the field, Tommy sat in his wheelchair with his shiny Tyrogue in his lap. On the other side, Afeleon stood there confidently with Sparx, her white Pikachu with purple cheeks on her shoulder. This promised to be a good battle to end the first round with.<p>

"Let the battle begin!"

"Chinchou, time to play!" Tommy said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of blue light, a small, round, blue fish-like creature with a pair of tiny white fins, two small blue feet, two antennae that were positioned from its rear like tails with a yellow teardrop-shaped orb on the end of each, and yellow eyes with plus sign-shaped pupils appeared onto the field.

"Snivy, assistance please!" Afeleon said as she threw her Pokéball to the field.

In a flash of light, a small, green reptilian Grass-type Pokémon appeared on the field.

"Chinchou, use Electro Ball!" Tommy commanded.

An orb of electricity formed between Chinchou's two antennae. It then fired it at its opponent.

"Snivy, use Leaf Storm!" Afeleon ordered.

Snivy waved one of its arms and a wave of glowing green leaves appeared and was sent flying at the electric orb. The two attacks collided and wiped each other out.

"Snivy, now use Giga Drain!" Afeleon instructed.

Snivy jumped into the air, its tail now glowing a light green, and fired a green beam from its tail. The beam wrapped around Chinchou and began absorbing its energy. Chinchou screamed at the pain it was receiving.

"Chinchou, break out of it with Return!" Tommy directed.

Chinchou began hitting the green beam with its antennae. It hit the beam with so much force that the beam broke entirely.

"Now, use BubbleBeam!" Tommy shouted.

Chinchou opened its mouth and fired a barrage of bubbles at its opponent.

"Snivy, pop those bubbles with Leaf Tornado!" Afeleon yelled.

Snivy span around on its head and fired a light green tornado from its tail. The tornado went down the field and popped the bubbles with ease. It then continued on and hit Chinchou, causing it a lot of damage.

"Chinchou, hit it with a Thunder!" Tommy ordered.

Chinchou released a powerful blast of electricity from its antennae at its opponent.

"Dodge it and finish it off with Leaf Blade!" Afeleon commanded.

Snivy dodged the electric attack by jumping into the air and then it flipped around in the air until it struck Chinchou in the head with a glowing green tail leaf. Chinchou was instantly knocked out.

"Chinchou is unable to battle! Snivy is the winner!"

Tommy then recalled Chinchou and took out another ball, threw it into the air, and yelled, "Darmanitan, time to play!"

In an instance, a mainly red, squat ape-like creature with bushy flame-colored eyebrows, a tan face, and bulky arms appeared onto the field.

"Darmanitan, use Fire Punch!" Tommy instructed.

"Snivy, dodge it!" Afeleon directed.

Snivy attempted to dodge, but Darmanitan ran at it with surprising speed and punched it with its ignited fist, sending the Grass Snake Pokémon flying towards the ground.

"Now, finish it off with Flamethrower!" Tommy shouted.

Darmanitan opened its mouth and released a stream of flame at its opponent, engulfing Snivy in flames. As the flames cleared out, Snivy could be seen lying on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Snivy is unable to battle! Darmanitan is the winner!"

Tommy smiled and said, "I trained my Darmanitan to be both strong and fast at the same time. It's not easy to beat."

Afeleon returned Snivy to its Pokéball, smiled and said, "That's fine. I like a bit of a challenge."

After contemplating for a moment, she threw another ball in the air and yelled, "Houndoom, assistance please!"

In a flash of light, a black canine-like creature with two white bands at the ends of each of its ankles, three white bands on its back, an orange muzzle, a long skinny tail with an arrowhead at the end of it, visible claws on its feet, a collar with a skull pendant on its neck, demonic-looking red eyes, and a pair of curled horns appeared and gave a howl that sent a chill down everyone's spines.

"Darmanitan, take care of Houndoom with Hammer Arm!" Tommy commanded.

"Houndoom, use Crunch!" Afeleon ordered.

Darmanitan jumped and aimed a glowing white arm at Houndoom. Houndoom, however, jumped straight at it and bit down on its arm hard with its strong jaws and sharp teeth. Darmanitan winced at the pain it was receiving.

"Darmanitan, knock it off of you with Return!" Tommy instructed.

With a powerful punch with its free arm, Darmanitan knocked Houndoom off of itself and sent it flying across the field. Luckily, Houndoom was able to land easily on all of its fours.

"Houndoom, use Beat Up!" Afeleon directed.

Houndoom let out another spine-chilling howl and shadowy silhouettes of it and its teammates appeared around Darmanitan. They all then punched Darmanitan, causing it a great deal of pain.

"Houndoom, use Thunder Fang!" Afeleon shouted.

"Darmanitan, use Fire Fang!" Tommy yelled.

Both Pokémon bit down on each other hard, Houndoom with electrically-charged fangs and Darmanitan with fiery fangs. However, Houndoom's body began to glow a sort of fiery aura and it absorbed all of the fire from Darmanitan's fangs.

"You activated Houndoom's Flash Fire ability," Afeleon said with a smile. "Now it's Fire attacks are powered up. Houndoom, use Inferno!"

Houndoom opened its mouth and fired a blast of blue flame at Darmanitan, who took a good amount of damage from Houndoom's increased fire power.

"Alright, then. We'll just have to show you the power of our Sheer Force!" Tommy said with a grin. "Darmanitan, use Rock Smash!"

"Houndoom, use Fire Fang!" Afeleon commanded.

The two Pokémon ran at each other, Darmanitan with a glowing orange fist and Houndoom with a mouth full of flames. As they met in the middle of the field, Darmanitan struck Houndoom with its arm and Houndoom bit onto Darmanitan with its fangs. An explosion occurred, and as the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were shown to have been knocked out.

"Neither Pokémon is able to battle! The round is pronounced a draw!"

Both trainers returned their Pokémon and then decided on their final Pokémon.

"Tyrogue, time to play/Sparx, assistance please," They both said to the Pokémon that they had out with them.

Both Pokémon ran onto the field and prepared for battle.

"Sparx, use Discharge!" Afeleon instructed.

"Tyrogue, use Vacuum Wave!" Tommy ordered.

Sparx released a blast of white electricity while Tyrogue sent a horizontal tornado out towards the middle of the field. The two attacks collided and dispersed into an explosion.

"Sparx, use Quick Attack!" Afeleon directed.

"Tyrogue, use Mach Punch!" Tommy told his Pokémon.

Both Pokémon ran at each other with unbelievable speed. Sparx tackled Tyrogue while Tyrogue punched it with a light blue glowing fist. Both Pokémon were knocked back to their own side of the field with extreme force.

"Sparx, use Thunderbolt!" Afeleon shouted.

"Tyrogue, Protect!" Tommy yelled.

Sparx sent out a blast of white electricity from its purple cheeks that pounded against Tyrogue's green energy shield. Surprisingly, both Pokémon were evenly matched as both trainers had trained them well.

"Tyrogue, use Return!" (Tommy)

"Sparx, Substitute!" (Afeleon)

An energy version of Sparx appeared where Sparx had previously been before running back to its trainer as Tyrogue came at it. Tyrogue punched the substitute with such great force, however, that it was completely shattered in an instant.

Despite such a short battle, both Pokémon had sustained a lot of damage due to each other's enormous amount of power. It looked as if one more attack would determine the winner.

"Brick Break!" (Tommy)

"Iron Tail!" (Afeleon)

Tyrogue's arm glowed a bright white as it ran at its opponent. Sparx's tail gave off a metallic glow as it did the same. The two met in the middle of the field and the attacks hit impact, causing an enormous explosion of power. Smoke covered the field, causing none to be able to clearly see who had won. Once the smoke cleared, both Pokémon could be seen standing and staring intently at each other. Finally, however, Tyrogue winced and fell over, now lying on the field with swirls in its eyes.

"Tyrogue is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner! The victory goes to Afeleon!"

* * *

><p>The crowd cheered tremendously at the amazing and epic battle that had been worthy enough to end the first round. Afeleon and Tommy met in the middle of the field, picked up their partner Pokémon, and then shook hands. Afeleon thanked Tommy for a great battle and Tommy wished Afeleon luck in the next round. And thus, the two battlers became friends at the end of their battle, an ending that should occur at the end of all battles.<p>

"And there you have it! The first round has ended!" Mr. Battrio said through the loudspeaker. "And tomorrow, we shall move on into round two! For those still in the tournament, all battles will be double battles, using two Pokémon each! So, until tomorrow, have a good night!"

* * *

><p>Later, as Ash and the others were walking back to the Pokémon Center for the night, Ash felt a tap on his leg. He turned around and saw Meowth looking up at him.<p>

"Hey, Ash," Meowth said, surprising everyone by not calling him '_twoip_,' "You're battling that guy with the talking Octillery tomorrow, right?"

Ash, who was also surprised, nodded and said, "Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Because I want in," Meowth stated with determination in his eyes.

Everyone looked shocked at this statement, and Iris said to Meowth, "But I thought that you said that you never would be captured by any of us '_twerps_?'"

Meowth nodded and said, "Yeah, but after traveling with Ash for so long, I don't see him as a _twoip_ anymore. I see him as a…as a…friend."

"Really?" Ash asked with surprise clearly in his voice.

"Yeah, but I want the same kind of treatment that Pikachu gets if you know what I mean," Meowth said, to which Ash nodded.

Meowth then jumped up and grabbed one of the empty Pokéballs from Ash's belt. He pushed the button, and in a flash of red light, he disappeared into it.

Everyone watched in suspense as the ball shook on the ground once.

Twice.

A third time, and then…it stopped with a seemingly loud _click_.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 34: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 5: Round Two Begins With…Meowth?"<span>_- The 2nd Round of double battles is now going to begin! And Ash is using…Meowth? What will happen? Will Ash and Gavin win their battles? Find out in the next chapter!

**Whoa...Meowth is now Ash's Pokemon? What are the odds? Well, I guess high since it's my story! I hope you guys liked this chapter! Read & Review!**

**A sincere apology to Speedy-Fox-IV, beastmode953, and Purrich. Once again, not based on preference, but randomized. Well, maybe not in Leaf's case, but that's for a plan in the tournament/story's plot anyways! Hint, once again, you guys will also have the chance to have your OCs in the sequel, or if you wish to create a new one for the sequel, that's fine too. **

**Also, hardly anyone has been voting on my poll! :( Just to let you all know, it's on my profile, so if you have the time, please vote!**

**As for the next round, it's all double battles! 2-on-2, so if you have any preference as to who will be battling in this next round, please let me know as soon as possible! Anyways, see you all next chapter!  
><strong>


	34. Chapter 34

**Hey, guys! Sorry it took so long, but Chapter 34's finally up! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 34: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 5: Round Two Begins With…Meowth?"_

(Flashback)

_"Hey, Ash," Meowth said, surprising everyone by not calling him 'twoip,' "You're battling that guy with the talking Octillery tomorrow, right?"_

_ Ash, who was also surprised, nodded and said, "Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?"_

_ "Because I want in," Meowth stated with determination in his eyes._

_ Everyone looked shocked at this statement, and Iris said to Meowth, "But I thought that you said that you never would be captured by any of us 'twerps?'"_

_ Meowth nodded and said, "Yeah, but after traveling with Ash for so long, I don't see him as a twoip anymore. I see him as a…as a…friend."_

_ "Really?" Ash asked with surprise clearly in his voice._

_ "Yeah, but I want the same kind of treatment that Pikachu gets if you know what I mean," Meowth said, to which Ash nodded. _

_ Meowth then jumped up and grabbed one of the empty Pokéballs from Ash's belt. He pushed the button, and in a flash of red light, he disappeared into it. _

_ Everyone watched in suspense as the ball shook on the ground once. _

_ Twice._

_ A third time, and then…it stopped with a seemingly loud _click_._

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>After a few adjustments at the Pokémon Center with the help of Professor Oak and the PokéTransfer System, Ash was finally ready to let Meowth out of his new Pokéball.<p>

"Ready, Pikachu?" Ash said, turning to his partner who sat on the floor beside him.

Pikachu nodded. He wanted to see how Meowth had handled half-an-hour inside one of those dreaded Pokéballs.

Ash pushed the button and in a flash of blue light, the talking Scratch Cat Pokémon appeared, practically wheezing to death after being in the closed space for so long. Sure, there was more room inside of a Pokéball than most people would think, but Meowth had always been a bit claustrophobic when it came to Pokéballs.

Meowth breathed heavily and said, "What took you guys so long?"

"Sorry," Ash said sheepishly. "We weren't expecting you to just hop inside the Pokéball just like that. Plus, Professor Oak was talking to me about a way to have you with me but still have six Pokémon with me."

"Really, you can do that?" Meowth said in surprise.

Ash nodded and said, "Yeah. Apparently, I can only have six Pokémon with me to use in battle, but some trainers carry a bunch of Pokéballs with them and only use six. So, as long as I have your Pokéball with me and don't use you in battle, you can stay with me."

"That sounds great!" Meowth said with happiness. He had never been too fond of battling, sometimes forcing Jessie and James to make him battle for them back when he was a part of Team Rocket. However, Ash, or his new trainer, was willing to keep him around and let him choose whether or not to participate in a battle. Maybe having a trainer wouldn't be so bad. Meowth then did something really unexpected. He hugged Ash around the leg.

As Meowth squeezed up against his leg, Ash and Pikachu both sweat dropped and Ash patted the Normal-type on the head in an attempt to tell him to stop. Luckily, Meowth realized what he was doing and quickly let go, sheepishly grinning and rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

It was at that time that May walked into the room to check on her boyfriend. In her hands, she held two mugs of hot chocolate.

"Hey there, Meowth," May said with one of her signature smiles, "It's good to see that you're doing okay after being in that Pokéball for so long."

She then sat down next to Ash, handed him his mug, and snuggled in close to him. She then looked up at him with her gorgeous sapphire-blue eyes and asked, "So, have you decided who Meowth's partner will be in the battle tomorrow?"

Ash nodded and replied, "Pikachu, of course. Out of all of my Pokémon, he's the one who would work best with Meowth."

Pikachu grinned at Meowth, causing the latter to be relieved that he'd somebody reliable to watch his back. Now, he would have to make sure that he had Pikachu's back.

* * *

><p>The next morning, the group walked together towards the stadium, Meowth in his new position at Ash's side.<p>

Today, both Ash and Gavin would be having their second round matches, and the others were eager to see how well they would do.

Finally, after a few minutes, they all finally reached the stadium and soon took their seats to watch each of the four battles that were being held today.

Then, over the loudspeaker, they and the rest of the crowd heard Mr. Battrio say, "Welcome everyone to Day 5 of the Kafue Town Battle Tournament!"

The crowd exploded into cheers until finally, they all got quiet in order to hear what else the master of ceremonies had to say.

"Today, we will be beginning Round 2, which will consist of 2-on-2 double battles. SO, without further ado, let us begin the first match of the day between Maris O'Conner and Ryan!"

* * *

><p>"So Ryan, I guess you're up," Crystal said to the sunglasses-wearing trainer sitting near her.<p>

"You gonna use _him_?" Sierra asked.

Ryan sat there silent for a moment and then finally nodded.

"She seems worthy enough," Ryan said, clearly having a bit of trouble breathing before coughing up a little bit of blood.

"Careful, Ryan," Hikari said, looking worried. "Don't strain yourself. Your heart can't take too much stress. Do you want to make the hole bigger?"

Ryan looked at her, gave a chuckle as her rubbed the invisible creature, and said, "You don't have to worry, Hikari. I'll be fine."

"You'd better be," Infierno said with a sly grin. "Or else Hikari here might lose her _boyfriend_."

Hikari blushed, while Ryan…well, he doesn't blush very often. Infierno continued to chuckle until Kaze elbowed him in the stomach.

"Ouch!" Infierno yelped, now rubbing his chest which was now emanating with pain. He glared at the purple-garbed male.

Ryan decided it was best to start heading off towards the field. As he walked he pulled out a black Pokéball with a star pattern and said to it, "It's time to make your tournament debut, old friend. Let us see what they think of your power."

* * *

><p>Ryan finally reached the field, and on the other side, Maris was waiting for him with a determined expression on her face. She had heard that he was good, but was he good enough to beat her?<p>

"Once again, this is a 2-on-2 double battle," The referee stated to the opponents. "Once both Pokémon on one side are knocked out, the battle will be over and the other team will have gained the victory. So, let the battle begin!"

"Goloro! Gyoro! Fighting stance! Let's go!" Maris said as she threw two Pokéballs into the air.

In a large flash of light, two Pokémon appeared on the field out in front of her. One was her partner Golurk, while the other hadn't seen battle in the tournament yet. It was a large, powerful-looking Gyarados of its normal color. It roared as it readied for battle.

Ryan grunted, sensing that both of these Pokémon were exceptionally strong. He pulled out two star-patterned Pokéballs and threw them into the air.

"Hydreigon! Volcarona! Now, come forth!" He said as the two balls opened, releasing a large flash of light.

As the light faded, two powerful-looking Pokémon appeared. One was a Hydreigon, but of an alternate green-and-purple color, and the other was normally-colored Volcarona.

"Hydreigon and Volcarona, give it your all," Ryan said to his Pokémon.

Volcarona nodded, while Hydreigon suddenly spoke and said in a deep and ominous voice, "As you wish, master."

* * *

><p>"Man, how many Pokémon are there out there that can speak English?" Max thought out loud.<p>

"Well, that depends. Are we talking the speaking ones and the telepathic ones, or just the talking ones?" Ash asked.

"Uh, just the talking ones," Max answered.

"Then, the number I've met or seen with that Hydreigon is about ten," Ash said after pondering a moment.

"How have you seen ten?" Leaf asked.

"Just lucky, I guess," Ash said smugly.

* * *

><p>"Gyoro, begin this battle with an Ice Beam on that Hydreigon!" Maris commanded. "And Goloro, use Charge Beam on Volcarona!"<p>

Gyoro opened its mouth and fired a light blue beam at the Brutal Pokémon while Goloro fired a bolt of lightning at the Sun Pokémon.

"Hydreigon, use Dragon Tail to knock it back! Volcarona, use Heat Wave!" Ryan ordered.

Hydreigon's tail glowed a light blue as it struck the light blue beam with the appendage mentioned. The beam flew back at Gyoro and caused it to grunt at the slight pain that it was dealt. Volcarona rapidly flapped its wings and released a wind of flame that collided with Goloro's Charge Beam, creating an explosion of black smoke.

"Hydreigon, use Ice Fang on Golurk!" Ryan instructed.

Hydreigon flew at Goloro, all three of its heads' fangs glowing an icy light blue as it prepared to strike.

"Goloro, Shadow Punch with both arms!" Maris directed.

Goloro held out its arms and fired two shadowy fist-shaped formations at Hydreigon. Two of its heads were hit, forcing it to falter in its attack.

"Now, Gyoro, use Hydro Pump!" Maris shouted.

Gyoro opened its mouth and fired a powerful jet of water at Hydreigon.

"Volcarona, deflect the water with Steel Wing!" Ryan yelled.

Volcarona flew right in front of the attack and held out its now metallically-glowing wings. The water hit the wing, but then was sent flying towards the ground, causing little to no damage.

* * *

><p>"Wow, what a way to use Steel Wing!" Tracey commented.<p>

"Reminds me of how Barry has his Empoleon use its Steel Wing," Dawn said, reminiscing.

* * *

><p>"Both of you, up above the field!" Ryan instructed.<p>

Hydreigon and Volcarona both nodded and then, the two of them proceeded to fly up high above the field, out of Maris's Pokémon's reach.

"I'll admit, you've done well so far," Ryan said with a cold, emotionless voice. "However, now my Pokémon have the advantage in the air."

"Who says my Pokémon can't follow yours into the air?" Maris said with a sly smile. "Goloro, Fly into the air! Gyoro, use Bounce!"

Goloro's hands suddenly inserted themselves into its arms, and its legs and feet went up into its body. It then took off into the air like a rocket, flames coming out of its arms and torso.

Gyoro quickly wounded up its large body like a spring and then bounced up into the air. Everyone in the stadium was in awe as they saw the large sea monster up in the air.

"Now, use Heavy Slam and Iron Head on Hydreigon!" Maris commanded.

Goloro began to fly at a high speed towards Hydreigon while Gyoro was heading towards the three-headed dragon with a metallically-glowing head.

"Volcarona, stop them with a Fiery Dance! Hydreigon, hit that Gyarados with a Dark Pulse!" Ryan ordered.

Volcarona flew over in front of Hydreigon and began doing a sort of dance in the air, surrounded by flames that were so intense that they stopped Maris's two Pokémon in their tracks. Hydreigon then launched a barrage of dark circles from each of its three mouths at the Atrocious Pokémon, who screamed out in pain. It then fell to the ground and created a cloud of dust in its wake. As the dust cleared, Gyoro could be seen to have been knocked out.

"Gyarados is unable to battle!"

Maris then returned Gyoro to its Pokéball and the battle continued as Maris called out, "Goloro, avenge Gyoro with a Charge Beam!"

Before anybody could blink, the airborne Goloro fired a bolt of lightning at Ryan's Pokémon. Hydreigon was able to dodge, but Volcarona couldn't get away in time and was hit in the chest. It was sent hurtling towards the ground until it hit it with a thud. Everyone could see that it had swirls in its eyes.

"Volcarona is unable to battle!"

After Ryan recalled Volcarona, both trainers were down to one Pokémon each. This was shaping out to be a serious confrontation. Both Pokémon went back to the ground and prepared to duke it out to the end.

"Goloro, use Magnitude!" Maris instructed.

Goloro's body became outlined with a brown aura. It then lifted one of its feet and brought it down hard into a stomp, creating an earthquake.

"Hydreigon, up into the air and then use Ice Fang!" Ryan directed.

Hydreigon flew up so that the earthquake couldn't reach it and then flew at Goloro. It bit down on it with all three mouths, each mouth having fangs that glowed in a light blue light.

A drop of sweat went down Maris's brow. Ice Fang was a super-effective attack on Goloro, so she would have to think fast before Goloro was taken out.

"Goloro, knock it off with Flash Cannon!" Maris yelled.

Suddenly, Hydreigon was blasted back with a silver beam of energy that Goloro fired from its body.

"Now, use Mega Punch!" Maris shouted.

Goloro switched into flight mode and then flew at Hydreigon, a glowing white fist ready to strike.

"Hydreigon, use DragonBreath!" Ryan commanded.

Hydreigon's body became surrounded by three gray rings, and then it opened its mouth to fire a gray flame at the oncoming Goloro. The flame slowed Goloro down, but it was still coming.

"Hydreigon, finish it off with a horizontal Draco Meteor!" Ryan ordered.

Hydreigon's body became cloaked in an orange aura and an orange ball of light appeared in its chest. It then opened its mouth and the orange ball appeared in front of it and began to grow bigger. It then fired the ball towards Goloro, and the ball split into a barrage of smaller meteors that created an explosion as they hit the Automaton Pokémon.

As the smoke from the explosion cleared, Goloro could be seen lying on the ground, knocked unconscious.

"Golurk is unable to battle! Both of Maris's Pokémon are knocked out! Therefore, the victory goes to Ryan!"

* * *

><p>Everyone cheered as Ryan and Maris shook hands after their amazing and fierce battle. Now, it was finally time for Ash's second round battle.<p>

"Alright, guys," the raven-haired trainer said to Pikachu and Meowth. "Let's go."

Everyone waved good-bye as the trainer and the two Pokémon began their trek down to the battlefield. While they went down, the others were discussing the winner of the previous battle, Ryan.

"There's something up about that guy," Misty said as she watched the victor began to walk off the field.

"Yeah, is it me, or was that guy's Hydreigon way more powerful than others of his kind?" Gary asked.

"I think that's the case," Walker answered. "And whoever wins this battle will have to face him next round."

"I wonder who it'll be?" May thought out loud. "I really hope it'll be Ash."

* * *

><p>As Ash walked through the tunnel to his side of the battlefield, he passed by Ryan, who didn't even spare him a glance. However, both of them suddenly felt a strange energy as they accidently brushed up against each other.<p>

'_Whoa. What was that?_' Ash thought, feeling a bit woozy for a moment.

'_No, it couldn't be…,_' Ryan said in his head, getting a similar feeling. '_Is it possible? I'll have to investigate this further…_'

They both shook it off and while Ryan continued on his way, Ash, Pikachu, and Meowth went towards the battlefield.

As they stepped onto their side, Ash could see Mario waiting for him with Neptune, the talking Octillery by his side.

"Well, Ash," Mario said with a grin. "It looks like we finally get to battle each other. But don't think that just because we're friends that I'll go easy on you."

"Wouldn't want you to anyways," Ash said with a determined smile on his face.

"Mario, I'm ready to battle and take out the weak-looking cat," Neptune said, glaring at Meowth.

"Oh, yeah? Well, I'm gonna turn you into sushi!" Meowth retorted.

"Pika-chu," Pikachu said, face-palming himself. ("Oh, please.")

Then the referee yelled out, "Let the battle begin!"

"Magnezone, on the court!" Mario said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, a large, gray metal robot drone with three eyes, one red and two black, a large oval-shaped center head with a yellow antennae sticking out of the top, two smaller heads on each side with a screw sticking out of the top of each, and two magnets in the front that were positioned like claws and one in the back positioned like a tail.

Ash pondered for a moment and then took out his Pokédex to scan Meowth to find out its attacks.

"Cool! Alright, Meowth, let's start off with a Night Slash on Octillery while Pikachu, you use Electro Ball on Magnezone!" Ash commanded.

"Taste my claws, Octo-nerd!" Meowth said as his claws extended and glowed purple. He then ran at the Jet Pokémon.

"Pika-pika-pika-pika-pika-chu-pi!" Pikachu yelled as a yellow orb of electricity formed on the end of his tail, he jumped into the air and did a front flip, and then sent the orb flying at Magnezone.

"Magnezone, block it with Mirror Coat and Neptune, use Flamethrower!" Mario ordered.

Magnezone's body became surrounded by in a glowing reflective substance, blocking the orb of electricity as it came.

"Caliente!" Neptune said as he released a stream of flame from its mouth at Meowth.

"Yow!" Meowth shouted as the flame caught him in the chest and sent him flying back across the field. Though struggling, Meowth was able to stand back up with Pikachu's help.

"Thanks," Meowth said gratefully before they both glared at their opponents.

* * *

><p>"I've got to admit," Max said as he sat watching the battle. "Mario's good."<p>

"Yeah," Iris agreed. "Will Ash be able to pull this off?"

"Well, Pikachu has formidable battle experience," Cilan said as he analyzed Ash's Pokémon, "while Meowth has little to none. Ash will have to think hard in order to win."

* * *

><p>"Both of you, Lock-On to them!" Mario instructed.<p>

"Locking-on," Neptune said as it and Magnezone both of them fired red rings at Meowth and Pikachu. Both of Ash's Pokémon now had a red target stuck to each of their chests. "Targets acquired, boss."

"Good, now use Flash Cannon!" Mario directed.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt and Meowth, use Pay Day!" Ash called out.

Mario's Pokémon fired silver beams of energy at their opponents. At the same time, Pikachu released a blast of yellow electricity while Meowth fired a barrage of glowing white balls from the coin on its forehead.

However, instead of colliding into each other, the two Flash Cannons avoided Pikachu and Meowth's attacks and went straight towards them, causing an explosion that sent both Pikachu and Meowth flying into the air.

Meanwhile, Pikachu and Meowth's attacks continued on their course and struck both of Mario's Pokémon. All four Pokémon hit the ground and struggled to get back up.

"Magnezone, use Giga Impact!" Mario shouted.

Magnezone's body became surrounded by purple energy and orange energy streaks as it began to charge towards Ash's Pokémon.

"Meowth, try your Assist!" Ash said to Meowth.

"Gotcha," Meowth said as he held up his paw. A white orb appeared on to it and then fired a blue orb of energy at the charging Magnet Area Pokémon. It caused an explosion, stopping Magnezone in its tracks.

"Whoa, that was Lucario's Aura Sphere," Ash muttered. He then yelled out, "Pikachu, use Volt Tackle on Magnezone!"

"Pika-pika-pika-pika," Pikachu said incessantly as it ran at Magnezone, its body cloaked in yellow electricity. It slammed into Magnezone and sent it flying backwards.

Magnezone stopped in front of Neptune, shook its body, and then gave Meowth a glare of anger.

"Magnezone, use Zap Cannon and Neptune, use Mud Shot!" Mario commanded.

Magnezone's front two magnets turned towards each other and began to form a yellow orb of electricity with a red center between them. It then shot it off towards Meowth.

Neptune began firing a barrage of mud balls at the Electric Mouse Pokémon.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash ordered. "Meowth, use Faint Attack!"

Pikachu began running down the field at a fast speed. A silver trail of energy followed it as it dodged all of the mud balls with ease. He then slammed his body into Neptune's chest.

Meowth suddenly disappeared, causing the Zap Cannon to simply hit the ground. He then reappeared in the air behind Magnezone just as everyone heard Mario shout, "Neptune, use Octazooka!"

Before Pikachu could get out of the way, Neptune fired an orange blast from its mouth at him, creating a huge explosion that sent Pikachu flying across the field until he landed directly in front of Ash. Pikachu was knocked out, now with swirls in his eyes.

"Pikachu is unable to battle!"

* * *

><p>"Oh, no! Pikachu!" May said with tears in her eyes.<p>

"Because of the close range, Pikachu caught the full exposure of that Octazooka's power," Gavin said as he and the rest of the group looked solemnly down at the field.

"Now," Brock said gravely, "Ash only has Meowth."

* * *

><p>"Pika-buddy!" Meowth said in shock as he landed onto the ground and ran over to his battle partner.<p>

"Pikachu, are you okay?" Ash asked.

"Pika…," Pikachu said to his trainer. ("Yeah.")

He then turned to Meowth and said, "Pika-chu-pi-chu, Pika-chu. Pi-ka." (It's up to you, Meowth. Good Luck.")

Pikachu then fell back into unconsciousness. Meowth almost teared up, but then, he stopped as he became overcome with rage.

"You guys hurt my buddy!" Meowth said angrily. "Now, it's time to pay with Pay Day!"

Meowth then launched a bunch of now-golden balls from its forehead at Neptune and Magnezone. Both of the opposing Pokémon cried out in pain as they were knocked back towards their trainer.

They got up, and Neptune said to Magnezone, "What's his power levels?"

"Zone," Magnezone said to its partner, looking a little fearful.

"What? It's over nine thousand! That's impossible!" Neptune said, now a bit frightened as well.

* * *

><p>"Hey, what's going on with Meowth?" Leaf asked.<p>

"I think it's Meowth's ability, Technician," Tracey concluded.

"Technician?" Dawn repeated.

"Yeah, it's an ability that powers up the user's weaker moves," Walker explained.

"Wow," Max said in awe. "I didn't know Meowth could do something like that."

* * *

><p>"Alright, Meowth, use Assist!" Ash instructed.<p>

Meowth held out his paw, which had now become engulfed in a white orb. Then, a powerful horizontal cyclone of exploding flame was shot out of it at Mario's Pokémon. An explosion occurred and both Pokémon were now on the ground, barely able to stay conscious due to the power of the Assist-powered Blast Burn.

"Now, time to take you both out with my Fury Swipes!" Meowth said as he began to run at his opponents.

"Both of you! Use Flash Cannon!" Mario shouted.

Neptune and Magnezone both fired silvery beams of energy at Meowth. However, Meowth simply dodged them by spinning in the air between them, and then continued running at them, its claws now extended and glowing silver. It then slashed at both of them, leaving claw marks on their faces as they both were knocked back towards Mario.

"Now I know what sushi feels like," Neptune was able to get out before it and Magnezone both went into unconsciousness.

"Both of Mario's Pokémon are unable to battle! The victory goes to Ash and his Meowth!"

* * *

><p>The crowd erupted into cheers. Ash and Pikachu, who was now awake, ran over towards Meowth and hugged the Scratch Cat Pokémon.<p>

"You were awesome, Meowth!" Ash said enthusiastically.

"Pika, pika-chu!" Pikachu said with a smile. ("Yeah, way to go!")

"Thanks, guys," Meowth said with a grin.

Then, Mario walked over to Ash and shook his hand, saying, "That was awesome, Ash. I really enjoyed that battle."

"Thanks," Ash said with a smile. "The same to you. We should battle again someday."

Mario nodded and then said, "Anyways, good luck in the rest of the tournament! I'll be cheering you on all of the way!"

Ash nodded, and the two trainers had by now become great friends.

* * *

><p>"He did it! He really did it!" May said with glee.<p>

"And now, it's Gavin's turn to battle," Walker said with a grin.

"Who are you going to use?" Dawn asked.

"You'll see," Gavin said with a wink before starting to head out towards the battlefield.

"Good luck!" They all said as he began to walk through the stands with Pichu on his shoulder.

* * *

><p>As Ash and Gavin passed in the tunnel, both of them nodded at each other with similar grins and gave each other a silent "Congratulations" and "Good luck" respectively.<p>

Gavin entered the center of the stadium and stepped onto the field. On the other side of the field, he could see Kyle standing there with his Espeon by his side. Pichu and Espeon both stared at each other, creating a sort of stare down as they prepared to root for their trainers.

"Let the battle begin!" The referee called out.

"Lapras, Ampharos! Go get 'em!" Kyle yelled as he threw two Pokéballs into the air.

In a flash of light, the Transport Pokémon and the Light Pokémon appeared onto the field, both looking very strong.

"Regirock, Empoleon! Come on out!" Gavin said as he threw his two Pokéballs to the field.

Instantly, the Rock Peak Pokémon and the Emperor Pokémon were standing side-by-side on the field, having a stare down with their opponents.

"Lapras, use Sheer Cold and Ampharos, use Thunderbolt!" Kyle commanded.

Lapras's body was outlined in a light blue glow, and it fired a beam of light blue energy from its mouth at Regirock. Then, Ampharos released a blast of yellow electricity at Empoleon.

"Regirock and Empoleon! Block it with Stone Edge and Steel Wing!" Gavin instructed.

Multiple light blue rings surrounded Regirock's body. The rings glowed white and then formed into stones that were the same color as its body. The braille pattern on its face glowed orange and it then fired the rocks at Lapras's attack, creating an explosion as they collided.

Meanwhile, as Ampharos's attack came at it, Empoleon held out a glowing-white wing which it used to block the bolt of electricity and redirect it towards the ground.

"Now, Regirock, use Zap Cannon and Empoleon, use Flash Cannon!" Gavin ordered.

Regirock stuck out its arms and a yellow orb with a red center formed between them. It then fired the orb at Lapras.

Empoleon opened its mouth and fired a silver beam of energy at Ampharos.

"Ampharos, stop their attacks with Thunder Wave!" Kyle directed.

Ampharos's body released bolts of blue electricity from its body, causing Regirock and Empoleon's attacks to explode on contact.

"Okay, Lapras, hit them with a Hydro Pump!" Kyle shouted.

"Dodge it and use Hammer Arm and Aqua Jet!" Gavin yelled.

Lapras opened its mouth and fired a powerful blast of water at Gavin's Pokémon. However, both Pokémon were easily able to dodge the blast, and then, they began to charge at Kyle's Pokémon. Empoleon's body was surrounded by water as it rocketed towards Ampharos while Regirock's arm glowed white as it charged at Lapras. Both Pokémon struck their respectable targets and sent them flying back several feet.

"Lapras, use Surf back-to-back!" Kyle called out.

A wave of water erupted from under Lapras, and it began surfing around the field, striking Gavin's Pokémon several times.

* * *

><p>Ash and the others grimaced as Lapras repeatedly attacked Gavin's Pokémon in this fierce battle.<p>

"What can Gavin do?" Dawn thought out loud as she gripped onto Piplup in her great distress.

"Plup!" Piplup said as it was starting to lose air as Dawn squeezed him hard.

"Oh, sorry, Piplup," Dawn said sheepishly.

"Pi-plup!" Piplup said indignantly as it crossed its arms angrily.

* * *

><p>'<em>What am I going to do<em>?' Gavin thought as he struggled to think of a way to stop that Lapras. Suddenly, he had an idea, but was this too extreme?

"It's the only way," Gavin said as he knew what he had to do. "Regirock, grab onto Lapras!"

With surprising speed for a rock golem, Regirock came up behind the Water/Ice-type and trapped it in its strong, stone arms. Lapras roared as it struggled to get out.

"Empoleon, use Ice Beam!" Gavin commanded.

"Ampharos, hurry and stop it with Thunder!" Kyle ordered.

"Regirock, block it with Stone Edge!" Gavin instructed.

Empoleon fired a light blue beam from its mouth at Lapras. Ampharos attempted to stop it by releasing a powerful blast of yellow electricity at its attack, but Regirock fired a barrage of gray stones from its body at the Electric attack, causing an explosion in mid-air. Then, Empoleon's Ice Beam hit Lapras, causing it to be slightly frosted with ice.

"Now, Regirock, use Explosion!" Gavin directed.

Regirock nodded, and then its body glowed in a bright white light until it exploded, creating a huge smoke cloud. As the smoke cleared, both Regirock and Lapras were lying on the ground unconscious.

"Both Regirock and Lapras are unable to battle!"

* * *

><p>"Now it's between Ampharos and Empoleon," Ash said, looking at two Pokémon who were still standing on the battlefield.<p>

"I wonder who'll win this?" May thought out loud.

* * *

><p>Empoleon and Ampharos glared fiercely at each other while Gavin and Kyle each recalled Regirock and Lapras respectively.<p>

As Gavin held Regirock's ball in his hand, he whispered to it, "Thank you, Regirock. Take a good and long rest."

Then, he looked determinately at his opponent, Kyle, who was a bit unnerved at the amount of passion shown in Gavin's brown eyes currently. Gavin then decided to pull his shades over his eyes, causing a light to slide down them. This did not help Kyle's nerves, however.

"Empoleon, use Drill Peck!" Gavin shouted.

Empoleon's beak and crown gave off a golden glow as it jumped and spun like a drill. It started to head straight for Ampharos.

"Ampharos, use Iron Tail!" Kyle yelled.

Ampharos's tail gave off a metallic glow as it struck at Empoleon's Drill Peck attack with it. Sparks flew as the two attacks collided, until the broke apart, landing back in front of their trainers.

"Ampharos, Discharge!" Kyle commanded.

Ampharos released a blast of powerful blue electricity that turned into a single beam of electricity at its opponent.

"Empoleon, block it with Metal Claw!" Gavin ordered.

The blue parts on the rims of Empoleon's wings glowed white and Empoleon held its wings up, using them to sort of absorb the electricity before it threw the electricity to the ground.

"Ampharos, Electro Ball!" Kyle instructed.

"Empoleon, use Hydro Cannon!" Gavin directed.

A yellow orb of electricity appeared on the red gem the resided on the tip of Ampharos's tail. Ampharos then swung its tail in Empoleon's direction, throwing the orb in the process.

Empoleon opened its beak and a blue flash of light appeared in front of it. Then, a glowing light blue ball of water in front of its beak appeared where the flash occurred. Finally, Empoleon fired the ball at Ampharos's attack. The two attacks collided, and created an explosion.

"Ampharos, let's end this with a ThunderPunch!" Kyle shouted.

"Empoleon, finish it off with an Aqua Jet!" Gavin yelled.

Ampharos's stubby hand became cloaked in yellow electricity as it ran at its opponent, who by now was rocketing towards it with a body surrounded by water. The two hit each other in the middle of the field, creating a powerful explosion that caused a cloud of smoke to cover the field.

As the smoke cleared, everyone could see that the Emperor Pokémon was still standing while the Light Pokémon lay on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Ampharos is unable to battle! Both of Kyle's Pokémon have been knocked out, so Gavin gets the win!"

* * *

><p>The crowd was in a frenzy of cheers as the two trainers shook each other's hand, becoming friends after their amazing battle. Even Pichu and Espeon had become friends with each other.<p>

At this point, the final battle of the day was about to start. It was between Dark and Fermin. As Gavin walked back up to his seat with the others, he wondered exactly who he would have to face in the third round.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, both of the aforementioned competitors were standing on either side of the battlefield. They both looked ready for the fierce battle ahead.<p>

"Let the battle begin!"

"Umbreon, Croconaw, on deck!" Dark said as he threw two Pokéballs into the air.

In a flash of light, the foxlike Moonlight Pokémon and the crocodile-like Big Jaw Pokémon appeared onto the field.

"Serperior, Infernape, help me out!" Fermin yelled as he threw his Pokéballs to the field.

Instantly, the Regal Pokémon and the Flame Pokémon appeared in front of Fermin onto the field.

"Infernape, use Mach Punch and Serperior, use Leaf Tornado!" Fermin commanded.

Infernape's fist glowed a light blue as it ran at Umbreon at a super-fast speed. Serperior swung its tail, creating a green cyclone that started to move straight towards Croconaw.

"Umbreon, dodge with Quick Attack and Croconaw, stop Serperior's attack with Aqua Tail!" Dark ordered.

At a fast speed, Umbreon was just barely able to dodge Infernape's attack with a white streak of light trailing behind it.

As for Croconaw, the Water-type did a headstand and a spiral of water came out of its tail. It then began spinning on its head, causing the water spiral to become stronger and completely cancel out Serperior's Leaf Tornado.

"Now, Umbreon, use Faint Attack on Infernape!" Dark instructed.

Umbreon began running at Infernape before disappearing and reappearing in front of it. It then slammed its body straight into Infernape's chest, sending the Fire/Fighting-type skidding back several feet.

"Infernape, retaliate with Flame Wheel!" Fermin directed.

Infernape jumped into the air and did a somersault. The flame on its head then extended and covered its entire body. It then began to roll towards Umbreon.

"Croconaw, stop it with Water Gun!" Dark shouted.

Croconaw opened its mouth and released a spiraling stream of water at Infernape's flaming wheel, causing the flames to sizzle out and Infernape to be thrown back.

"Serperior, use Vine Whip!" Fermin yelled.

Serperior released two green vines from its collar at Croconaw, whipping it in the face and sending it flying.

"Umbreon, quick! Use Bite to grab Serperior's vines before it can retract them!" Dark commanded.

Umbreon quickly ran up to Serperior's vines and bit down hard on them, causing Serperior to wince in pain.

"Infernape, stop Umbreon with Close Combat!" Fermin ordered.

Infernape began to run towards Umbreon, preparing to use the powerful Fighting-type attack on it.

"Croconaw, use Slash!" Dark instructed.

Croconaw jumped at Infernape and slashed at it with sharp claws, leaving behind a thin white energy line where it slashed. Infernape grunted angrily and began to use its Close Combat attack on the Water-type, punching and kicking it repeatedly.

"Now, Umbreon!" Dark shouted. "Throw it at Infernape!"

With surprising strength, Umbreon managed to throw Serperior through the air towards Infernape. However, Fermin just smirked and said, "Nice try. Serperior, pull yourself back towards it and use Leaf Blade!"

Serperior nodded and then, as quick as a flash, retracted its vines so that it was pulled towards Umbreon. It soon struck the Dark-type with a glowing green tail sprig. Umbreon flew back several yards before landing onto the ground. It struggled to get up, glaring at Serperior as it stood back up.

Meanwhile, Croconaw was still getting thrashed, and it looked like it didn't have much strength left.

"Croconaw, you've gotta fight back! Use Chip Away!" Dark directed.

A glint appeared in Croconaw's eye, and then, it quickly struck Infernape in the leg with its fist. Infernape yelled in pain.

"Infernape, grab it and take it for a ride with Flare Blitz!" Fermin yelled.

Infernape nodded and then quickly grabbed Croconaw from behind. The two of them both then took off into the air, cloaked in intense flames. They flew up high into the air before they started to plummet down to the ground.

"Croconaw, bite it with Ice Fang and use Aqua Tail!" Dark shouted.

Croconaw, who was struggling, managed to bite down onto Infernape's arms with its sharp, light blue glowing fangs. Infernape winced at the slight pain. Then, a spiral of water erupted out of Croconaw's tail and began to put out the flames. As the two landed into the ground with a thud, a cloud of smoke cloaked the two of them. As it cleared, both Pokémon were seen to be unconscious.

"Both Croconaw and Infernape are unable to battle!"

This just left the battle between Serperior and Umbreon. Both Pokémon stared at each other with intense fury for all of the bruises and scrapes that covered their bodies. It was all up to a few attacks as they both didn't have much left in them.

"Serperior, use Energy Ball!" Fermin commanded.

"Umbreon, use Shadow Ball!" Dark ordered.

Serperior's green ball of light and Umbreon's shadowy orb collided in mid-air at the middle of the field, creating a slight explosion.

"Umbreon, use Confuse Ray!" Dark instructed.

"Serperior, use Safeguard!" Fermin directed.

Umbreon's eyes glowed red as it attempted to confuse its opponent. However, a green energy field appeared around Serperior, protecting it from the confusion that Umbreon's glare might've caused.

"Umbreon, let's finish this with Pursuit!" Dark yelled.

"Serperior, use Mega Drain!" Fermin shouted.

Serperior attempted to knock out Umbreon by firing an energy-sucking green beam of light at it, but Umbreon dodged it and then tackled Serperior, its body cloaked in dark energy. Serperior fell over and hit the ground with a thud. As it lay on the ground, it could be seen with swirls in its eyes.

"Serperior is unable to battle! Since both of Fermin's Pokémon are out, he has lost the battle, giving the victory to Dark!" The referee announced to the crowd.

* * *

><p>Dark and Fermin shook each other's hand as the crowd cheered for their incredible battle. Now, there were currently four people heading on to the third round, with four more still to be decided.<p>

Who will join the first four 2nd Round winners in the 3rd Round? And overall, who will win the entire tournament?

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 35: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 6: The Second Part of Round Two! Double Battles Galore!"<span>_- Ash and Gavin have won their second round battles, and are now heading on to round three. However, with four more battles to be held before round three can begin, who will be joining them? Find out in the next installment of Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**So now, we are one step closer to the end of the tournament. I wonder who'll win the entire thing? Hope you guys liked the chapter! Read & Review!**

**A sincere apology to A Half-Empty Glass, WetWing68, KJC71790, and MetaKnight0011 for your losses. Once again, the offer to be in the sequel is offered to you all for doing so well.**

**This chapter took longer than expected due to some unforeseen circumstances, including the dreaded review war. As such, although it is with sincere regret, I have had to disable the ability to leave anonymous reviews. I like getting reviews, but if they're not credible or they don't offer any sort of criticism or feelings on the chapter or if ****they just don't make any sense, I don't feel as if I deserve them. So for now on until we can reach a point where I can safely open the ability to review to anonymous reviewers without getting a bunch of nonsense reviews from "certain" people that aggravate everyone to the extremes, those who wish to review are simply going to have to start an account. It's not that hard, actually, it's relatively easy. I apologize to those anonymous reviewers who actually offered credible reviews, but this is the only way to end the war and put me back on track with the story.**

**So, without further ado, I bid you all a fond farewell until next chapter!  
><strong>


	35. Chapter 35

**Hey guys, Happy New Year! To start off the new year, here's the latest chapter of Pokemon: League of Ultimates! I hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 35: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 6: The Second Part of Round Two! Double Battles Galore!"_

It was another beautiful morning as Ash and the others were making their way to the Kafue Town Stadium in order to watch the second half of Round 2 of the Kafue Battle Tournament. As Ash and Gavin had already had their second round battles, today they would be watching as Walker and Leaf had their battles.

"Good luck to both of you today," Misty said to the two of them.

"Thanks, but I don't really need it," Walker said arrogantly. "I'm so gonna win this."

"Wow, Walker," Gavin spoke sarcastically, "You astound us all with your amazing humility."

A few of the others snickered while Walker, who was once again full of hot air, didn't even hear his rival's comment.

"Well, Leaf, we know that you'll do well," Gary commented.

"Uh, thanks, Gary," The female Pallet Town native replied with a tinge of pink on her cheeks.

With that, the group continued on until they finally made it to the stadium, taking their seats in a calm and orderly fashion. That is, until they, along with the rest of the crowd, started cheering when the battles were about to begin.

* * *

><p>"Welcome back for the final half of the second round of the Kafue Town Battle Tournament!" Mr. Battrio's voice stated through the speakers. "Today, we will be having four more double battles to determine who will be joining the four who are already confirmed to be moving on to round three! So now, let's begin with our first battle between Trentavious Phoenix and Jeff Carmine!"<p>

* * *

><p>Soon, the two previously mentioned trainers stood opposite of each other on the battlefield in the middle of the stadium.<p>

"Let the battle begin!" The referee announced, holding up both of his red and green flags.

"Match Set! Battlers: Weavile and Abomasnow!" Trent yelled as he threw two Pokéballs into the air.

In a flash of light, two Pokémon appeared on the field. One was a familiar-looking Sharp Claw Pokémon, while the other was a large creature with shaggy white fur, some of which covered its mouth and made it look like it had big, bushy eyebrows that stuck out like antennae; hands, feet, and a short tail that were all dark green in color; four green spikes coming out of its back, and light-purple eyes. On top of the large Ice-type's head was a Nevermeltice that it wore like a crown.

"Bisharp and Beedrill, show yourselves!" Jeff said as he hurled his Pokéballs at the field.

Instantly, the Sharp Sword Pokémon and the Poison Bee Pokémon appeared in front of the trainer who had used Articuno in his last battle. Both looked ready to fight, as did Trent's Pokémon. Suddenly though, dark clouds covered the stadium and hail began to fall all over the battlefield.

* * *

><p>"What's with all of this hail?" Misty asked as they, along with everyone else, scrambled to get under their umbrellas to escape the wind and rain, despite the fact that the hail only fell on the battlefield.<p>

"It's Abomasnow's ability, Snow Warning!" Cilan explained in a louder tone, as it was hard to hear with all of the wind blowing about. "It causes a hailstorm to be summoned when Abomasnow is on the field!"

"This is why I don't like Ice-types!" Iris screamed, shivering due to the combined efforts of the cold winds and her fright.

"But don't you have a Cryogonal?" Gavin asked.

"That's different!" Iris retorted. "My Cryogonal is actually nice and doesn't freeze me to death with a hailstorm!"

* * *

><p>While Bisharp and Beedrill struggled to hold their ground against the fierce hailstorm, Weavile and Abomasnow just stood there, both completely unaffected by the hail that fell from the sky down to the field.<p>

"Weavile, use Ice Beam and Abomasnow, use Ice Shard!" Trent commanded.

Weavile put its hands together and fired a light blue beam of light at Beedrill while Abomasnow held its hands over its head and threw a glowing light blue ball of ice at Bisharp.

"Bisharp, break it with Metal Claw, and Beedrill, dodge it with Agility!" Jeff instructed.

Bisharp's arms glowed like iron as it slashed at Abomasnow's attack, shattering it into a million pieces. Beedrill, on the other hand, put on a burst of speed and dodged Weavile's attack with ease.

"Now, use Night Slash and Twineedle!" Jeff ordered.

Bisharp's forearm blades both glowed a sinister-looking red as it jumped at Abomasnow. Beedrill, with its enhanced speed, flew at Weavile, ready to stab it repeatedly with its powerful stingers.

"Dodge it, both of you, with an Icy Wind-Frost Breath Smokescreen!" Trent directed.

Weavile opened its mouth and blew a wind of sparkling blue snow as Abomasnow released a gust of icy breath from its mouth. The two attacks combined, creating a thick icy fog that covered the field. Bisharp and Beedrill stopped, looking around frantically for their opponents.

* * *

><p>"Whoa, Trent's using the tactic that Jeff used to defeat Timothy the other day," Gary noted.<p>

"Trent seems to be a master of Ice-types," May thought out loud.

"I wonder who can win this battle?" Ash said as the battle commenced.

* * *

><p>'<em>Huh. I wonder where they are,<em>' Jeff thought as he struggled to see through the fog.

He then heard Trent yell out, "Now, both of you, use Shadow Ball!"

Then, out of nowhere, Bisharp and Beedrill were each struck by a shadowy orb of dark energy. The orbs caused an explosion, sending Bisharp and Beedrill flying backwards until they hit the ground.

"Follow it up with Wood Hammer and Aerial Ace!" Trent shouted.

Abomasnow and Weavile suddenly appeared next to Bisharp and Beedrill and then struck them with a glowing-turquoise arm and a white-streaked tackle. These attacks knocked them both further back in Jeff's direction.

* * *

><p>"Trent's using this fog to his advantage," Gavin commented. "The only way that Jeff can make a comeback is to clear the fog away."<p>

"Pika," Pikachu agreed, along with Pichu who sat next to him.

* * *

><p>"I've got to clear this fog," Jeff muttered under his breath. "Beedrill, use Defog!"<p>

Beedrill's wings glowed white as it flapped them, send out crescents of white light that cut through the fog like a night, causing the mist to clear, exposing Trent's Pokémon.

"Now, Bisharp, use Focus Blast at the ground below them!" Jeff commanded.

A light blue ball of focused energy formed in between Bisharp's hands. Then, Bisharp jumped into the air and threw the ball at Weavile and Abomasnow's feet, causing an explosion that sent the two Ice-types flying into the air.

"Beedrill, use Sludge Bomb on the both of them!" Jeff instructed.

One of Beedrill's stingers glowed a dark purple color. It then brought its arm forward and fired a purple blast of sludge at its airborne opponents.

"Weavile, Abomasnow! Stop its attack with Dark Pulse and Razor Leaf!" Trent ordered.

Weavile held out its hands and fired a barrage of shadowy circles from between them. Abomasnow brought one of its arms forward and released several sharp leaves from it. The two attacks collided with Beedrill's Sludge Bomb, canceling each other out in a detonation of black smoke. Weavile and Abomasnow then safely landed onto the field, even if they looked just slightly worn out from the battle so far.

"Weavile, you use Surf, while Abomasnow, you use Rock Tomb to prevent Bisharp and Beedrill from escaping!" Trent directed.

A wave of water erupted from under Weavile, and it began to surf towards its opponents. Meanwhile, a giant rock formed in Abomasnow's arms, and it threw it over Bisharp and Beedrill's heads. The rock landed directly behind them, putting the two Pokémon literally between a rock and a hard place.

'_What am I going to do?_' Jeff thought. He gritted his teeth as Weavile loomed closer. Suddenly though, he had an idea.

"Beedrill, Cut the wave in half!" Jeff yelled.

"What?" Trent said, flabbergasted.

Beedrill's stingers took on a white shine. Then, it swung them both down, sending two white crescents of light at the wave of water, slicing it down the middle. As the water went by Jeff's Pokémon, causing them no damage, Weavile, who had lost its balance, started to fall towards the ground.

"Now, Bisharp, finish it off with Guillotine!" Jeff shouted.

Bisharp raised both of its arms into the air and then crossed them over its chest. Its forearm blades glowed white for a moment, before turning light blue and extending greatly. Bisharp then jumped into the air above Weavile and came down upon it, landing on top of it blades first.

After the two hit the ground, Bisharp stood up to reveal the knocked out Weavile.

"Weavile is unable to battle!" The referee announced, pointing one of the flags at the Dark-and-Ice-type Pokémon.

After Trent recalled Weavile back into its Pokéball, the battle resumed.

"Abomasnow, use Ice Punch on Beedrill!" Trent commanded.

"Beedrill, counter it with X-Scissor!" Jeff instructed.

Abomasnow began bounding towards Beedrill, both of its fists cloaked in icy blue energy. Beedrill flew through the air at it with its stingers now crossed, creating a glowing light blue "X" in front of it as it charged at the Frost Tree Pokémon.

The two impacted in the middle of the field. Sparks flew as both of them struggled to hold their ground. However, Abomasnow proved stronger as it was able to knock Beedrill backwards to the ground.

"Now finish it with Sheer Cold!" Trent ordered.

Abomasnow's body became outlined in a light blue light. It then released a beam of light blue energy at the grounded Bug/Poison-type, knocking it out in one sweep of icy energy.

"Beedrill is unable to battle!" The referee called out.

It was all down to a final battle between Jeff's Bisharp and Trent's Abomasnow. Both looked wiped out and beaten down, but they each still looked eager to fight to the end.

"Bisharp, use Swords Dance!" Jeff directed.

Bisharp's blades glowed a light purple color and extended, heightening its Attack power.

"Abomasnow, use Growth!" Trent told his Pokémon.

Abomasnow glowed a light green as its Attack and Special Attack stats both increased.

* * *

><p>"It looks like both of them are ready to finish this in one shot!" Cilan said in shock.<p>

"Huh?" The others exclaimed in unison.

* * *

><p>"Abomasnow, use Skull Bash!" Trent yelled.<p>

Abomasnow's body took on a white aura as it flew at Bisharp, head first.

"Bisharp, use Iron Head!" Jeff shouted.

The blade sticking out of Bisharp's head turned to iron and it lowered its head. It then jumped into the air and flew at Abomasnow.

The two heads collided in mid-air in the middle of the battlefield. An explosion occurred blasting both of them back towards their trainers. They both landed on their feet, but they could both be seen to panting heavily. Suddenly, Abomasnow winced and then fell to the ground with a mighty thud. At the same time, the hail storm disappeared completely.

"Neither of Trent's Pokémon are able to battle! Therefore, Jeff is declared the winner!"

* * *

><p>The crowd erupted into cheers while both trainers returned their Pokémon to their balls. Trent and Jeff then walked over to each other and shook hands.<p>

Then, as the two trainers walked off of the field, a voice over the intercom said, "Would Walker and Vladimir Burns please come down to the field for the next battle?"

* * *

><p>Walker then stood up and said to the others, "See ya guys later! I'm gonna go win this easily!"<p>

Everyone sighed at Walker's ever-growing ego. Ever since his first win in the tournament, he had been getting more and more egotistical.

Finally, after he was out of sight, Leaf said to the others, "He looks confident."

"Yeah," Gavin agreed. "He's even nicknamed all of his Pokémon except Aipom due to that confidence."

"Why?" Dawn asked.

Gavin shrugged and replied, "It's just one of his many, many quirks. You get used to it."

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Walker was standing on the field with Aipom clinging to his shoulder. On the other side was Vladimir, who looked ready for a good battle.<p>

"Let the battle begin!"

"Let's do this, Bull and Dozer!" Walker said as he threw his Pokéballs into the air.

In a flash of blue light, two very large and heavy Pokémon appeared. "Bull" turned out to be a strong-looking Camerupt, while "Dozer" was a large, light brown hippo-like creature with a dark gray back and muzzle with a few ports on them, black feet with three toes each, a mouth several feet across with big rounded teeth, and red eyes.

* * *

><p>Leaf took out her white Pokédex and scanned Walker's second Pokémon.<p>

"_Hippowdon, the Heavyweight Pokémon and the evolved form of Hippopotas. __It creates an enormous tornado of sand by blowing sand out of the holes in its body, and its mouth is over 6 feet in diameter. As surprisingly fierce Pokémon, Hippowdon opens its giant mouth to intimidate adversaries._"

* * *

><p>Surprisingly, Vladimir put on a curt grin, took out two Pokéballs, and threw them into the air.<p>

"Surf's up, Samurott! Time to ride the wave, Hydreigon!" Vladimir said as the two balls opened up and sent out a large flash of blue light.

Instantaneously, the Formidable Pokémon and the Brutal Pokémon appeared on the field in front of Vladimir. At the same time, a bead of sweat formed on Walker's brow.

* * *

><p>"Well, that's not good," Brock said with a tense expression.<p>

"Walker's in trouble," Gary stated.

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"Walker sent out a Camerupt and a Hippowdon," Gavin began to explain. "Camerupt's a Fire-and-Ground-type and Hippowdon's a pure Ground-type. Samurott is a Water-type, which is strong against both Fire and Ground."

"Also, Hydreigon has the Levitate ability, which makes it so that Ground-type attacks can't affect it," Ash concluded.

"So, Walker's at a type disadvantage?" May inquired.

"More than that," Cilan added. "If he doesn't have a plan, it'll be a massacre!"

"Pika," Pikachu said sadly, quickly covering Pichu's eyes. The later attempted to find a way to see past its evolution's hand.

* * *

><p>"Samurott, start off with Razor Shell! Hydreigon, follow it with Dragon Rush!" Vladimir commanded.<p>

Samurott took out its large blade, which began to glow a watery blue. It then leaped into the air and began falling towards Walker's two Pokémon. Meanwhile, Hydreigon was charging towards them, its body enveloped in a blue light.

"Both of you avoid their attacks by using Dig!" Walker instructed.

The two large Pokémon nodded and then dug into the ground until they disappeared into the earth. Samurott and Hydreigon stopped, wondering where their targets were. Then, Bull and Dozer erupted out of the ground behind them.

"Bull, use Rock Slide! Dozer, use Crunch!" Walker ordered.

Bull stomped one of his feet into the ground, and several large rocks flew out of it into the air. Then, the rocks began to hurtle down towards Hydreigon. Dozer began to charge at Samurott, its mouth wide open and ready to chomp down on the Water-type.

"Hydreigon, block the rocks with Stone Edge! Samurott, hit it with an Ice Beam in the mouth!" Vladimir directed.

Hydreigon's body became surrounded by a white energy. The energy then formed into two rings that encircled its body before breaking apart into several jagged orbs. The white glow faded, and the orbs took on the form of gray stones. The stones were launched out, flying towards the large rocks and causing to be knocked off course, in the end missing Hydreigon completely.

Samurott opened its mouth and a ball of light blue energy formed in front of it. Then, several light blue beams of light were shot from the ball at Dozer. The beams hit Dozer's mouth, causing it harm and freezing up its entire mouth in a sheet of ice. Dozer struggled to close its mouth, but was unable to.

"Dozer, defrost your mouth using Fire Fang!" Walker shouted.

Instantly, the inside of Dozer's mouth became coated in intense flames, melting the ice completely and allowing it to once again move its mouth.

"Now, Bull, hit Hydreigon with your Flamethrower!" Walker yelled.

Bull opened its mouth and released a stream of flame at the Dragon-type.

"Samurott, block it with another Razor Shell!" Vladimir told his Pokémon. "Then, Hydreigon, hit Hippowdon with a triple Crunch attack!"

Samurott ran in front of its partner and quickly unsheathed its blade. The blade took on the familiar watery blue glow as Samurott held it out in front of its body, both blocking and dousing the stream of flame with ease.

Hydreigon then took this opportunity to fly at Dozer and bite down upon it with all three of its mouths. Dozer winced with pain as Hydreigon bit harder and harder.

"Dozer, use Sandstorm to knock it off of you!" Walker cried out.

A burst of sand was shot out of all of the ports on Dozer's body, including its nostrils. Hydreigon was sent flying into the air and at that point, the sandstorm picked up, causing everyone's view of the battle to be blocked instantly. Hydreigon flew over the field, searching desperately for its partner, who was shrouded by the sand.

* * *

><p>"Now, that was a good move," Brock commented.<p>

"Yeah, now Samurott and Hydreigon won't be able to see where Hippowdon and Camerupt are," Misty agreed with a nod.

"Plus, neither of Walker's Pokémon will be hurt by the sand because they're both Ground-types," Tracey concluded.

"Looks like Walker has evened it out," Max said with a grin.

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu cheered, finally allowing Gavin's partner to see the battle.

"Pi-chu! Pi-pi-chu!" Pichu said happily. ("Finally! I can see!")

"Okay, dat's great, but can you take your hand off of _my _eyes?" Meowth said angrily with Pikachu's hand covering his eyes. Pikachu and Pichu chuckled before Pikachu finally obliged.

* * *

><p>"Bull, let's heat things up with an Eruption at Hydreigon!" Walker commanded confidently.<p>

Out of nowhere, a burst of hot lava and flame was shot from the sandstorm at a surprised Hydreigon, who was just barely able to dodge it.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the storm, Samurott was struggling to hold its ground against the fierce winds and the stinging bits of sand.

"Dozer, hit Samurott with a Thunder Fang!" The Formidable Pokémon suddenly heard Walker yell.

Then, the large, hippo-like Pokémon appeared and bit down upon it with teeth cloaked in yellow electricity. Samurott was instantly electrocuted.

Vladimir gritted his teeth as he heard Samurott scream in pain.

"Samurott, hit it with your Razor Shell!" He yelled loudly.

Samurott struggled against the pain, but was finally able to raise its watery blue-glowing blade into the air and strike it against Dozer, causing it to instantly lose its grip and let go of the Water-type.

"Now, finish it off with a Megahorn!" Vladimir ordered.

Samurott's shell-like helmet took on a silvery aura, and it jumped at Dozer, sending it flying across the field. The sandstorm suddenly cleared, and Dozer was shown to be lying on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Hippowdon is unable to battle!" The referee said, pointing one of his flags at the fallen Ground-type.

Walker grimaced as he held out Dozer's Pokéball, causing the Heavyweight Pokémon to disappear in a red light.

"Bull, it's up to you!" Walker said to the Eruption Pokémon. "Use Fissure!"

Bull slammed its feet into the ground, slicing the ground open and sending a white energy beam at Samurott.

"Hydreigon, cancel it out with Earthquake!" Vladimir instructed.

Hydreigon sped towards the ground and slammed one of its heads into the earth, causing it to shake until it met Camerupt's Fissure. The two then canceled each other out. However, something unfortunate happened. Hydreigon couldn't pull its head out of the ground.

A crafty grin crept onto Walker's face. He then called out, "Bull, hit it with an Iron Head!"

Bull began running at Hydreigon, its body cloaked in a white aura. Hydreigon frantically tried to pull itself out of the ground, but was soon hit by Bull, sending it flying towards Samurott. Hydreigon's body collided with Samurott's, and both flew past Vladimir and into the wall behind him.

Everyone could see that both Pokémon had been knocked out by the impact with the concrete.

"Neither of Vladimir's Pokémon are able to battle! Walker is declared the winner!"

* * *

><p>The crowd cheered wildly for the two trainers as they recalled their Pokémon and started to head off of the field.<p>

As Walker walked through the tunnel that connected the stands and the field, he passed Leaf, who looked determined. The two nodded at each other, and then continued on to their respectable destinations.

Leaf was soon standing on the battlefield. Across from her was her opponent, Jim Alraik, who was grinning curtly at her.

"Well, I didn't know that I was facing such a hot trainer," Jim said obnoxiously. "Don't worry, babe. I'll go easy on ya."

Surprisingly, a sly smile appeared on Leaf's face as she replied, "Oh, you don't have to do that. You're going to lose either way, so you might as well give it your all."

"Ooh, feisty," Jim repulsively responded as he took out two Pokéballs. "I like that."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back with the group…<p>

"Take him down, Leaf!" Gary yelled out. "Show him who's the better trainer! Mop the floor with him!"

"He's a little enthusiastic, isn't he?" May said, whispering into Ash's ear.

"Just a bit," Ash agreed, chuckling a bit.

* * *

><p>"Let the battle begin!" The referee told the two competitors.<p>

"Tyrant, Ripper, time to crack some skulls!" Jim shouted as he threw his two Pokéballs into the air.

Instantly, two fierce-looking Pokémon appeared onto the field. One was a large and powerful-looking Tyranitar, while the other was a Kabutops that looked deadly. Both Pokémon sneered over at Leaf.

Leaf just smiled, took out two Pokéballs and tossed them into the air.

"It's time to shine, Medicham and Dragonair!" She said as they floated in mid-air for a second before opening.

The balls released a flash of blue light, and as the light faded, two Pokémon appeared in front of the Kanto native. One was a human-shaped creature with a gray body, what seemed to be large red-and-yellow shorts, a red headpiece with three yellow spots in the center and three bulb-like extensions on the top and the sides, and red lips that appeared to be puckered. Its body position resembled a yoga practitioner's.

The other was a large, blue serpentine creature with dark, glossy eyes, a small, unicorn-like horn on its forehead, small feathery wings on the sides of its head, a white belly, and blue orbs on its neck and tail.

* * *

><p>Ash and Gavin both took out their Pokédexes and scanned these two Pokémon.<p>

"_Medicham, the Meditate Pokémon, and the evolved-form of Meditite. Medicham is able to harness psychic powers through yoga. Through a combination of food deprivation and meditation, Medicham gains the ability to see its opponent's aura._"

"_Dragonair, the Dragon Pokémon, and the evolved-form of Dratini. Dragonair is a legendary Pokémon that can make rain or snow fall at its will. It can even fly without wings._"

* * *

><p>"Both of you, use Stone Edge!" Jim commanded.<p>

Tyrant and Ripper's bodies were surrounded by three light blue rings. The rings glowed white and formed into chunks of gray stones. Both of their eyes then turned red, and the stones shot at Medicham and Dragonair.

"Medicham, stop the stones with Psychic!" Leaf instructed.

Medicham's body became surrounded by a light blue glow. Then, the fast-moving stones stopped in mid-air, taking on a similar glow.

"Now, send them back, and Dragonair, use Thunder Wave!" Leaf ordered.

Medicham held its arms forward, and the stones immediately were sent hurtling to where they originated. Dragonair then released a blue stream of electricity from its horn at the stones, causing the gray chunks of rock to become infused with electricity.

Soon, Tyrant and Ripper were repeatedly pelted and shocked by the combo attack. However, even after the attack ceased, both Pokémon looked like they barely took any damage.

"I'll show you a real attack," Jim said in an arrogant tone. "Tyrant, use Iron Head! Ripper, use Aqua Jet!"

Tyrant's body became surrounded by a white aura as it charged at Medicham. Meanwhile, Ripper's body became cloaked in water as it flew through the air at Dragonair.

"Medicham, use Detect! Dragonair, use Twister!" Leaf directed.

Medicham's eyes then glowed green and it easily dodged Tyrant's attack, much to the Rock/Dark-type's dismay. The Armor Pokémon then subsequently ran into the wall, creating several large cracks in the concrete.

The orbs on Dragonair's tail began to glow. It then waved its tail and created a tornado, which it sent flying at Ripper. The tornado ran into it, causing the Shellfish Pokémon to be sent hurtling towards the ground. Both of Jim's Pokémon angrily got up from the ground/wall and glared furiously at Leaf's Pokémon.

"Tyrant, take 'em down with Brick Break, and Ripper, Slash 'em up!" Jim yelled.

Tyrant's arm glowed white as it stomped over towards Medicham and raised it above its head. Ripper started running towards Dragonair, its scythes both glowing white.

"Medicham, slow them down with Confusion!" Leaf shouted.

Medicham held out its hands and they became surrounded in light blue. Tyrant and Ripper became surrounded in a similar matter, and proceeded to slow down, eventually stopping completely. Despite their struggling, neither was able to move.

"Dragonair, use Wrap!" Leaf instructed.

Dragonair slithered over towards its opponents and tightly wrapped its long body around them.

"Now, Medicham, hit them with a double Thunder Punch!" Leaf commanded.

"Hurry up and break out with Thunder Fang!" Jim ordered.

Tyranitar opened its mouth and bit down onto Dragonair, its bite sending painful electricity through Dragonair's body. Dragonair screamed with pain, but didn't let go. Medicham then ran up to the three Pokémon, its fists cloaked in yellow electricity, and punched both of the opponents in the jaws. Dragonair immediately let go of them, and then it, along with Medicham, went back over to their side of the field.

"What are you guys doing?" Jim said with intense fury. "Go get 'em! Dragon Claw and Night Slash!"

Both of Jim's Pokémon shook their heads and then started to run at Medicham and Dragonair. Tyrant's claws glowed light blue and Ripper's scythes took on a sinister and deadly-looking red glow.

"Dragonair, use Dragon Rage and Medicham, use Force Palm!" Leaf told her Pokémon.

Dragonair's neck orb began to glow, and then, a swirling vortex was sent from its body at Ripper. Medicham held out its palm and fired a huge white blast at Tyrant. Both of the attacks caused a huge explosion.

As the smoke cleared, everyone could see that the blast had knocked out both of Jim's Pokémon.

"Neither of Jim's Pokémon are able to battle!" The referee announced. "The victory goes to…"

"NO!" Jim suddenly yelled out. Everyone looked shocked at how angry he looked. "I do not lose to anyone! Especially to a girl! Destroyer, time to crush some skulls!"

Suddenly, Jim took out a Pokéball, threw it into the air, and in a flash of light, the trainer's powerful Aggron appeared onto the field, roaring menacingly.

* * *

><p>"Hey, he can't do that!" May yelled.<p>

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu agreed wholeheartedly. The entire group glared daggers at Jim and his Aggron.

* * *

><p>The referee attempted to stop the rogue trainer, but Leaf stopped him.<p>

"So, you want to continue battling, eh?" Leaf said confidently. "Fine, then. It's time to shine, Venusaur!"

She tossed a Pokéball into the air, and in a flash of light, the fully-evolved Kanto starter Pokémon landed onto the field with a thud.

"Saur," It said in a deep voice. It glared at Destroyer, ready to knock it down a peg or two.

"Destroyer, take it down with Head Smash!" Jim shouted.

Destroyer began charging towards Venusaur, its body now surrounded by a bluish-white light glow.

"Grab it!" Leaf instructed.

Several dark green vines came out from under the leaves on Venusaur's back and grabbed Destroyer, completely immobilizing the Iron Armor Pokémon.

"Now, hit it with Leaf Storm!" Leaf ordered.

The leaves on Venusaur's back glowed light green, and then, a cyclone of glowing green leaves was fired at the restrained Destroyer, sending it flying across the field.

"Get up! Destroy that plant thing with your Flash Cannon!" Jim yelled.

"Venusaur, hurry and charge up a Solarbeam!" Leaf told her Pokémon.

Venusaur nodded and immediately began absorbing sunlight, causing a yellow orb of light to begin forming on its flower. Meanwhile, Destroyer opened its mouth and fired a silver beam of energy at the Seed Pokémon.

Destroyer's attack came closer and closer, but finally, Venusaur had finished charging up the solar energy it needed for an attack.

"Fire!" Leaf called out.

"Saur!" Venusaur said as it fired a yellow beam of solar energy at Destroyer's attack. The Solarbeam ended up overpowering the Flash Cannon, and then, it hit Destroyer, knocking it backwards through the air towards Jim.

"Ahhh!" Jim yelled in fear as Destroyer ran into him and they both went flying towards the wall. As the dust cleared, both Pokémon and trainer alike were knocked out.

"As I was saying earlier, the victory goes to Leaf!" The referee said to the crowd, who cheered madly in response.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, after the field was cleared, it was time for the last match of the second round between Orange and Afeleon. Both trainers stared confidently at each other, Orange with Gengar at his side and Afeleon with Sparx on her shoulder.<p>

"Let the battle begin!"

"Feraligatr and Metagross, out of the shadows!" Orange said as he threw two Pokéballs into the air.

In a flash of light, the Big Jaw Pokémon and the Iron Leg Pokémon appeared onto the field, both looking fierce.

"Umbreon and Salamence, assistance please!" Afeleon cried out as she hurled her two Pokéballs to the field.

Instantly, the Dragon Pokémon and the Moonlight Pokémon materialized in front of their trainer. However, Umbreon looked different as it had yellow eyes and blue rings instead of the normal red eyes and yellow rings. They both looked ready for a good battle.

"Ladies first," Orange said, politely bowing.

Afeleon smiled and then said to her Pokémon, "Salamence, start off by using Fly, and Umbreon, use Dig!"

At her command, the mighty blue Dragon-type took off into the air while the black foxlike Dark-type quickly dug into the ground until it disappeared from view.

"Feraligatr, get Salamence with Aqua Jet and Metagross, use Earthquake!" Orange commanded.

Feraligatr's body became surrounded by water, and then it rose into the air and began heading straight for Salamence. Meanwhile, Metagross lifted one of its legs into the air and brought it down hard, causing the ground to shake and tremble. Because of Metagross's attack, Umbreon was forced to come above ground.

"Salamence, dodge it and then use Hyper Beam!" Afeleon ordered.

Salamence managed to dodge Feraligatr's attack using a quick aerial maneuver. Then, it fired a pink beam of energy surrounded by white energy at the Water-type, who in turn was sent hurtling towards the ground before crash landing into the earth. It struggled to get up, glaring angrily at the Dragon/Flying-type.

"Now, Umbreon, use Shadow Ball!" Afeleon directed.

"Send it back with Bullet Punch!" Orange instructed.

Umbreon opened its mouth and a shadowy orb appeared in front of it. Then, it fired it at Metagross, who was currently floating in midair. Metagross's legs then glowed red and it punched the shadowy orb back at the Dark-type.

"Dodge it!" Afeleon shouted.

At great speed, Umbreon jumped out of the way, dodging the Shadow Ball which exploded on the ground.

"Feraligatr, use Surf on Umbreon!" Orange yelled.

A large wave of water erupted under Feraligatr's feet, and the Big Jaw Pokémon began surfing towards the Moonlight Pokémon.

"Salamence, stop it using Earthquake!" Afeleon commanded. "Umbreon, jump onto Salamence's back!"

Salamence flew towards the ground, landing softly next to its partner. Umbreon then jumped up onto the dragon's back, just before Salamence lifted its tail into the air and slapped it down hard, causing another earthquake that shook the field. The trembling of the battlefield caused the wave of water to fall apart and Feraligatr lost its balance, falling to the ground hard.

"Now, use your Draco Meteor-Psychic combo!" Afeleon instructed.

Salamence opened its mouth and a large orange ball formed in front of it. It then fired the ball into the air. Once the ball was high in the sky, it exploded into multiple smaller orange orbs that began to fly towards the ground.

Immediately after the meteors were fired off, Umbreon's eyes glowed blue, and all of the meteors were surrounded by blue outlines as well. Then, the meteors were sent flying straight at Orange's Pokémon by Umbreon's will.

"Feraligatr and Metagross! Block them using Ice Beam and Hammer Arm!" Orange ordered.

A light blue ball of light formed in front of Feraligatr's mouth. The ball then condensed and fired multiple light blue beams at the meteors, causing them to freeze and just fall to the ground.

Metagross floated into the air, and all of its legs glowed white. Then, it spun around, knocking all of the meteors down to the ground.

"Now, Metagross! Hold Salamence down with Confusion!" Orange yelled.

Metagross's eyes began to glow red and its body became outlined in a light blue outline. Then, Salamence became surrounded by a similar light blue outline. The dragon cried out in agony as it struggled to move its body.

"Umbreon, stop Metagross with Hidden Power!" Afeleon shouted.

Umbreon's eyes glowed white, and then, it unleashed black radiating waves of energy at Metagross.

"Feraligatr, stop it with a Focus Blast!" Orange commanded.

Feraligatr held its arms out, and a light blue ball of energy formed in between them. Then, Feraligatr threw it at Umbreon's attack, and the two held against each other before the attacks exploded.

"Umbreon, stop Feraligatr with Return!" Afeleon ordered.

"Feraligatr, hit it with your Crunch attack!" Orange instructed.

Umbreon ran at in a charge, its body surrounded by powerful energy. As it hit Feraligatr's chest, however, the Big Jaw Pokémon managed to bite down onto Umbreon's body, causing the latter to yelp in pain.

"Umbreon, use Shadow Ball!" Afeleon cried out.

Umbreon was struggling, but it managed to shoot the shadowy orb at its opponent. However, the explosion that the attack caused hit both of them, due to it being shot at such a close range.

As the smoke cleared, the crowds could see both Pokémon were lying on the ground with swirls in their eyes.

"Feraligatr and Umbreon are unable to battle!" The referee told the trainers and the crowd.

Afeleon and Orange recalled their respectable Pokémon and prepared for the final battle.

It was now between Metagross and Salamence, but the Dragon/Flying-type was at a disadvantage, due to the fact that it couldn't move because of Metagross's Confusion.

"Salamence, use Focus Energy!" Afeleon shouted.

Salamence's body became outlined in a red aura as it focused with all of its might to break free of Metagross's psychic hold.

"Now, hit it with your DragonBreath!" Afeleon yelled.

Salamence slowly opened its mouth as it struggled against the Confusion attack. Then, it fired a large fireball from its mouth at Metagross. The damage that the attack caused broke the Iron Leg Pokémon's psychic control over Salamence's body, allowing the dragon to be free and fly into the air.

"Let's finish this with Dragon Claw!" Afeleon commanded.

"Metagross, take it down with Meteor Mash!" Orange ordered.

The two began flying towards each other, Salamence with its bright green claws and Metagross with a golden meteor silhouette on one of its legs. The two collided, and an explosion occurred, sending the two hurtling towards the ground. As the two hit dirt, a thick cloud of dust covered the field.

As the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were struggling to stand back up. However, Salamence suddenly winced and fell to the ground. It was knocked out cold.

"Salamence is unable to battle, which means that neither of Afeleon's Pokémon are able to battle! Therefore, Orange is declared the winner!"

* * *

><p>Everyone cheered as Orange and Afeleon shook hands after their amazing battle. Then, everyone watched as Mr. Battrio prepared to speak.<p>

"Well, another round has come and gone. Now, today's four winners will join yesterday's winners in the third round!" The man said with great gusto. "The third round will consist of 1-on-1 battles! So, to our winners, be prepared!"

The crowd exploded into a frenzy of cheers. At this point, we see a split screen depicting Ryan, Ash, Gavin, Dark, Jeff, Walker, Leaf, and Orange. Who will come out of the third round victorious? Stay tuned in order to find out!

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 36: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 7: The Third Round Brawl!"<span>_- Now that the second round is finished, the third round commences! But exactly who will move on to the semifinals? The mysterious Ryan? Our Pallet Town Hero? Gavin, the sunglasses-adorned battler? The fierce Dark? Jeff, the Articuno trainer? Gavin's strong rival, Walker? Leaf, the girl with the skills? Or Orange, the shining trainer of darkness? Find out in the next installment of Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**And there you have it, the second round is over, and now we move on to the third round! I wonder who'll win? We'll have to wait and see! Hope you liked it! Read and Review!**

**Also, a very sincere apology to Trentavious Phoenix, PokePenguin2459, TanktheAggron, and afeleon276 for your losses. You will also be offered a chance to appear in the sequel! I wish that everyone could win this tournament, but sadly, there can only be one winner**.

**I'm sorry that these chapters have been taking so long, but I've had a lot going on lately. I will have the next chapter out as soon as I can. Luckily, the third round is only one chapter, so hopefully I can get it done soon. Plus, the battles are 1-on-1, so for those that are still in the tournament, if you have a specific Pokemon that you wish to see in battle, tell me as soon as possible! Until next time!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Hey, everybody! Here's the new chapter! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 36: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 7: The Third Round Brawl!"_

"Where is he?" May said anxiously as she frantically walked down a hallway in the Pokémon Center in search of her raven-haired boyfriend. It was time for dinner, and she couldn't find Ash anywhere.

She entered the lobby and immediately walked over to the front desk which was currently occupied by Nurse Joy.

"Oh, hello, May," The pink-haired nurse said to the bandana-wearing brunette with a smile. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Yes," May answered gratefully. "Have you seen Ash around anywhere?"

"Why, yes," Nurse Joy nodded. "I saw him heading towards the computer a little while ago."

"Thanks!" May said happily. She dashed off towards the room in question.

* * *

><p>As she entered, May saw Ash sitting in front of a computer with his head lying on the keyboard, as he snored loudly. There was even a bit of drool on his lips. Pikachu and Meowth were also there, both asleep at Ash's feet. May smirked as she snuck up beside the sleeping trainer.<p>

She leaned in towards his ear and whispered, "Wake up, sleepyhead."

Ash shifted slightly, turning his head away from her. May then heard him say, "_But Mo-o-om, I don't wanna go to school today._"

May chuckled silently. An idea then popped into her head.

"Hey, Ash, Dinner Time!" She yelled into his ear.

Ash immediately shot up, his legs sending Pikachu and Meowth flying into the air.

"What's going on?" He said a bit sleepily. Suddenly though, Pikachu and Meowth landed on the raven-haired trainer and looked up angrily at him.

"Uh, hehe, sorry, guys," Ash said sheepishly.

"Chuuuuuuu!" Pikachu yelled as he shocked Ash with a blast of yellow electricity.

"AHHHHHHH!" Ash and Meowth cried out in pain. May looked shocked as the two landed on the ground. She immediately got down her knees to see if they were alright.

"I'm _so_ sorry! Are you alright?" May asked, worry now deep in her heart.

A dazed Ash looked up at her, smiled, and said, "With you, I'm always alright."

Despite them being a couple for about a month now, May still couldn't prevent a small pink tinge appearing on her face. It always a bit surprising about how much Ash actually knew about love, in spite of the fact that his attitude usually caused others to think that he knew nothing about that feeling.

May then smiled and said, "You're sweet. Now, would you mind telling me what you were doing before you fell asleep?"

Ash got up and sat back down at the computer, wiggled the mouse a bit, causing the screen to light up. May, who was now leaning up against Ash from behind, saw trainer data on the screen for those who still remained in the tournament.

"I was looking up data on the guy I'm facing tomorrow, Ryan," Ash said, answering her question. He then proceeded to pull up the mentioned trainer's bio, which contained a picture of the trainer, a bit of background information on him, and pictures of his team.

"Wow," May said as she read some of the information. "He sounds tough."

"Actually, I've been looking up data from the start on each trainer, and they all would have been tough to battle," Ash stated before focusing more on who was left with him in the Top Eight. "Anyways, after looking at his data, and I've got a pretty good idea on who he's going to use in the battle tomorrow."

"Really? So do you know who you're going to use?" May asked.

Ash nodded and then said, "It's not gonna be easy, but I think that both of us have a chance to win. I'll just have to find a way to beat him."

"Well, I'm rooting for you all of the way," May said, giving him a light peck on the cheek. "So what about the others' battles tomorrow? Did you find out information on them?"

"Yeah, and I can tell you now, they'll all be pretty good battles," Ash said as he pulled up info on the other six members of the Top Eight. "Gavin's facing Dark Williams, and from what I can tell from his bio, Dark's pretty strong.

"Walker's up against Jeff Carmine, the guy we saw that had the Articuno, and Walker's gonna have to be at his best to beat him."

"What about the guy that Leaf's facing, Orange?" May inquired.

"Another tough opponent with an unpredictable battle style," Ash answered. "But they're not the only ones that I'm worried about."

"What do you mean?" May asked.

"I mean that while there's a chance that I may have to face these guys, there's also a chance that I may have to face Gavin, Leaf, or Walker. Walker's Gavin rival, so he's obviously gonna be pretty a strong opponent for anyone. Leaf and I started out on our journeys from Pallet Town, so she's got just as much experience as I do, putting her up there with Gary on skills. However, Gavin's the one I'm most worried about."

"Why Gavin?" May said with a questioning look on her face.

"Because out of all of the trainers that I could face, he's the one that could be the toughest to beat," Ash told her. "I've battled him before, but never in a tournament like this. He'll give his all, and from watching him battle, his all is pretty powerful."

"Well, then," May said as she wrapped her arms around him reassuringly, "You'll just have to give your all as well."

Ash looked at her fondly and asked, "How did I ever manage to get someone as great as you as a girlfriend?"

May smiled, laid her head down on his shoulder, and answered, "Just by being the confident, kind, and sweet person you are."

The two then leaned in and kissed, once again reigniting the fiery passion of love. Meanwhile, Pikachu and Meowth gave each other a look that said, "How come he makes it look so easy?"

* * *

><p>The next morning, the group was looking excited in their new personal section in the stands that they had been given, along with some of the others that had been invited by the other four members of the Top Eight.<p>

As they had a good half an hour before the battles were to begin, they decided to talk with some of the others that were up here.

"Hey, guys!" Dark and Orange greeted. Jeff, who was sitting just two rows behind them, gave the group a wave. They were sitting next to a small group of the other competitors who had already been knocked out of the tournament.

Ash was about to go say hi when he suddenly heard a voice say, "So, you're Ash Ketchum?"

He turned around to see his upcoming opponent Ryan standing there, along with a small group of people. Suddenly, though, Dawn noticed the blue-haired girl standing next to the silver-haired trainer and her eyes widened. The same could be said for the others, as they all looked shocked at the sight of the two similar-looking girls.

However, after a few seconds of staring, everyone just dismissed it, and then Ash held his hand out to Ryan and said, "May the best man win."

"I intend to," Ryan said simply as he turned and sat down a few rows down. Ash and the others looked a little distraught, but soon enough, they could tell that today's battles were about to begin.

* * *

><p>"Welcome all to the Round Three of the Kafue Town Battle Tournament!" Mr. Battrio said to the excited crowd.<p>

"Today, we'll see the tournament's Top Eight face off against each other in four 1-on-1 battles! So, let's get things underway with a match between Ash and Ryan!"

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Ash and Ryan were staring each other down on the battlefield. Both trainers looked ready for a fight to the end.<p>

"Alright, trainers! Once again, this is a 1-on-1 battle! Each trainer will use one and only one Pokémon until that Pokémon has been knocked out in battle! So, let the battle begin!" The referee yelled out to the two trainers.

"Hydreigon, now, come forth!" Ryan said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, the Brutal Dragon Pokémon appeared onto the field.

"Ready to devastate, my Master," It said in a deep and ominous voice.

A glint appeared in Ash's eye as he took a Pokéball from his belt. He then turned his cap around, as he did whenever things were intense.

"Charizard, I choose you!" Ash said as he threw the ball to the field.

It opened up and sent out a flash of blue light. As the light faded, the orange dragon appeared and released a stream of flame into the air. It then glared at Hydreigon and gave it a snarl.

"I'll allow you the first move, Ash," Ryan called out to the raven-haired trainer.

"Thanks. Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash commanded.

Charizard opened its mouth and released a stream of intense flame at its opponent.

"Deflect," Ryan instructed.

Hydreigon held out one of its heads and then struck Charizard's attack hard, easily knocking the flames to side and causing a huge explosion behind it. Hydreigon chuckled menacingly, causing Charizard to become both shocked and slightly unnerved.

"Up into the air!" Ryan told his Pokémon.

Hydreigon immediately took off from the ground, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake.

"Go after it!" Ash yelled.

Charizard nodded and then followed its dark opponent into the sky.

"Now, we'll show you a real attack," Ryan said with a smirk. "Use Blue Flare!"

"What?" Ash exclaimed, utterly shocked at Ryan's words.

Hydreigon opened its mouth and a light blue orb of fire formed in front of it. Then, Hydreigon lowered its head and fired a powerful stream of light blue-and-white flame with multiple light blue-and white-rings of fire around it from the orb.

"Dodge it!" Ash yelled as the intense blast of blue flame came close to his Pokémon.

"Pika!" The small, yellow Mouse Pokémon on the ground beside him echoed.

Charizard quickly shook its head out of the stupor that the sight of Hydreigon's attack and just barely dodged the powerful attack.

* * *

><p>"What in the world?" May said in shock.<p>

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that Hydreigon isn't supposed to be able to use Blue Flare," Dawn stated with a gulp.

"Earlier, I would have said that you were right, but now I'm not so sure," Max said, tightly gripping his seat's armrests.

* * *

><p>'<em>How does it know that move<em>? _Only Reshiram is supposed to be able to learn that!_' Ash thought in his disbelief. '_What else could this Pok__é__mon be hiding?_'

Ash shrugged it off and then yelled out, "Charizard, use Dragon Rage!"

Charizard's eyes glowed white and the flame on its tail grew to a huge size. It then formed a ball of fire in its mouth and released a fiery inferno at the opponent.

"Dodge it and use Dark Pulse!" Ryan ordered.

Hydreigon did a quick spin through the air, dodging the ball of fire with ease. Then, it held out one of its smaller heads and fired a barrage of shadowy purple circles at its opponent.

"Charizard, counter it with DragonBreath!" Ash directed.

Charizard opened its mouth and released a blue beam of air at Hydreigon's attack. The two beams collided, creating a huge explosion of black smoke.

"Now, Charizard, use Steel Wing!" Ash shouted.

Charizard spread its wings and they began to take on a metallic glow. Then, the orange dragon began flying fast towards its dark opponent.

"Hydreigon, block it with your Dragon Tail!" Ryan commanded.

Hydreigon's tail began to glow a light blue glow as Charizard came at it. Wing then struck tail, and sparks flew until a small explosion occurred. The explosion caused the two dragons to break apart and fly back until they were a few yards apart.

"Hydreigon, let's take it down with a Fusion Bolt!" Ryan called out with a smirk.

"Yes, Master," Hydreigon said with a nod. Its body then began to give off blue electricity, and a blue sphere formed around its body. It soon proceeded to charge at Charizard.

"Charizard! Hurry and fly out of there!" Ash yelled.

Charizard gave a mighty flap with its powerful wings and flew up far into the sky. However, Hydreigon continued to follow it in its electrical sphere.

* * *

><p>"Hydreigon is still following it!" Timothy Broome noted.<p>

"How is Hydreigon even able to use that attack?" Afeleon thought out loud.

"Yeah, isn't that supposed to be Zekrom's signature move?" Karl Seeger asked.

"Yes, but for some reason, this Hydreigon is able to use the attacks of legendaries!" Kyle J Chang answered.

"What can Ash do?" Tommy inquired.

"Fight. Fight until the end," Vladimir said with a restless look on his face.

"And people say that my Heracross is weird! This guy's Hydreigon is nuts!" Josh Prigmore exclaimed.

* * *

><p>"Charizard, you'll have to stop it with an Overheat!" Ash shouted.<p>

Charizard nodded and then stopped in its tracks. It turned around just as its body began to turn red. It then released a white fire with a red-orange flame spiraling around it from its mouth. The attack hit Hydreigon and caused a huge explosion.

It looked like that had stopped it, but suddenly, Hydreigon came out of the smoke, still surrounded by the electrical sphere. Then, before Charizard could react, Hydreigon tackled it in the gut, sending Charizard flying backwards through the air.

"Now, hit it with a Blue Flare!" Ryan yelled.

"No, Charizard!" Ash called out.

"Pika!" Pikachu said in fear.

Hydreigon opened its mouth and fired a powerful stream of light blue-and-white flame with multiple light blue-and-white rings of fire around it at Charizard. The blast hit the orange dragon and sent it hurtling down towards the earth until it hit the ground with a mighty thud, covering the field in a thick cloud of dust.

* * *

><p>"No way!" Maris O'Conner said in shock.<p>

"I can't believe it," Trent said with a sorrowful look on his face.

"That had to have taken it out," Mario stated sadly.

"No Pokémon could have survived a hit like that," Zen commented.

"I so thought that Ash had a chance," Fermin said, looking down at the ground.

* * *

><p>"Well, I guess Ryan's going to the semi-finals," Infierno said a few rows below the others.<p>

"It's not like there was any doubt," Hikari smiled proudly.

"Still, you have to feel sort of sorry for that kid's Charizard," Crystal noted.

"Yeah, I don't think any Pokémon's ever put up that good of fight with Hydreigon before," Sierra added.

"Who says that the fight's over?" Kaze suddenly spoke, giving a slight surprise to the others. He didn't really talk too often. They all looked down at the field and their eyes widened in shock.

* * *

><p>"What?" Ryan said in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "But that's not possible!"<p>

Everybody, including Hydreigon, looked surprised as they saw the Fire-and-Flying type stand up from the hole it had created in the field. It roared at its opponent angrily, the flame on its tail larger than usual.

"Charizard, you got up!" Ash said happily.

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu cheered with a huge grin on his face.

Charizard nodded and then gave another mighty roar. Suddenly, the flame on its tail grew even larger and a fiery red aura began to emanate from the Flame Pokémon's body.

* * *

><p>"Whoa…," Mike McHarrot said, awestruck.<p>

"Th-that's…," Tara stuttered as she felt the power springing from Ash's Pokémon's body.

"Blaze," Joe finished, not looking up from his laptop.

"Charizard's ability," Yamagi added.

"Oh, how I'm glad that I didn't have to face that Pokémon," Sean said in relief.

"Same here," Kory nodded.

"Ditto," Webb Hahn agreed.

* * *

><p>A distance away, even Jim Alraik and Alex Von Kizvard were frightened at the power of Ash's Charizard.<p>

"Um, I probably shouldn't mess with his girl again," Jim said with a mighty gulp.

"You think?" Alex asked in a sarcastic tone.

* * *

><p>"Alright, Charizard, let's get this show back on the road!" Ash said, full of enthusiasm. "Fly at it and grab it!"<p>

Charizard roared and then took off in what seemed like a sonic boom towards Hydreigon.

"Hydreigon, stop it with DragonBreath!" Ryan shouted.

"Counter it with the same and keep going!" Ash instructed.

Both Pokémon fired beams of air at each other, creating a huge explosion of black smoke when the beams collided. However, Charizard soon flew through the smoke and continued at Hydreigon until it grabbed it from behind.

"You know what to do, Charizard! Seismic Toss!" Ash commanded.

Charizard, who was still holding Hydreigon, flew up higher with it and then began to spin around in a circle, an image of the globe behind it. Finally, it zoomed back down and threw its opponent hurtling towards the ground.

"Now, let's finish it off with Blast Burn!" Ash ordered.

Charizard's eyes glowed red and a red aura surrounded its body. Its flame grew to an enormous size, and it lifted its wings up and spread them out. It then opened its mouth and released an intense and powerful blast of exploding flame at Hydreigon. This time, however, instead of taking the form of cyclone, the blast took the shape of a gigantic Charizard made completely of fire. The fiery Charizard then chomped down onto its prey, creating a massive explosion that caused black smoke to cover the entire stadium.

As the smoke cleared, everyone could see Hydreigon lying on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Hydreigon is unable to battle! Charizard is the winner! The victory goes to Ash Ketchum!" The referee called out.

* * *

><p>The crowd broke out into a frenzy of cheers that overtook the entire stadium. Ryan walked over to Hydreigon and helped it up.<p>

"I'm sorry, Master," The dark dragon said with regret. "I failed."

"It's alright," Ryan said with a half-smile on his face. "It's only one loss."

He then recalled the Pokémon back into its ball, turned around, and walked away until he heard a voice behind him call out, "Hey, Ryan!"

Ryan turned around and saw Ash standing there with Pikachu on his shoulder and Charizard by his side. Ash had a huge grin on his face.

"That was an awesome battle! We should battle again someday!" The raven-haired boy said, his voice full of excitement.

The silver-haired trainer pondered it for a moment, and then amazingly smiled.

"Yes," He said, a bit of happiness in his voice. "We will have to battle again…someday."

He then walked off and entered the tunnel that would lead him out of the stadium. Ash could see that Ryan's friends had also disappeared. Ash continued to smile, returned Charizard to its ball, and then walked back to his seat.

* * *

><p>"Dude, that was awesome!" Lune said, completely psyched.<p>

"A really awesome battle!" Mike Carson commented.

"I can't wait to see the other battles!" Blake added.

* * *

><p>"He did it!" May said happily, tears of joy in her eyes.<p>

"It was a tough battle, but Ash pulled through," Brock said, proud of his friend.

"Yeah, and now, we get to see Gavin lose!" Walker said with a grin until a mighty SMACK met the back of his head, sending him to the floor, head first.

The others' eyes were wide and full of shock as the saw Dawn standing over him, enraged at her boyfriend's obnoxious rival.

"Wow, and I thought Misty was violent," Gary whispered to Tracey, who snickered.

Within a few seconds, both of them were face-down on the floor with Misty looming menacingly over them.

"Is this how it always is?" Cilan asked May, Brock, and Max.

"Pretty much," Brock answered nonchalantly.

"Man, I actually feel sorry for the little kid," Iris said with a surprised look on her face.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, as Ash walked through the tunnel off of the field, he passed his cousin, who had Pichu on his shoulder. They both gave each other a nod, and their partners did the same. They then proceeded off to their intended destinations.<p>

Gavin walked out of the tunnel and made his way over to the battlefield, where Dark was waiting for him.

As soon as both trainers were ready, the referee yelled out, "Let the battle begin!"

"Umbreon, on deck!" Dark said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, the Moonlight Pokémon appeared. It squatted down into a pouncing position, ready to battle fiercely.

Gavin smiled, pulled out a Pokéball, and threw it towards the field, shouting, "Leafeon, come on out!"

Instantly, as the flash of blue light faded, the Verdant Pokémon appeared. The Grass-type stretched flexibly, causing the Dark-type to stand back up and become intrigued.

"Umbreon, start off with Quick Attack!" Dark commanded.

Umbreon began to run at its opponent at a fast-speed, its body followed by a trail of white light.

"Dodge it, Leafeon," Gavin said calmly.

Umbreon came at it, running as quick as ever, but suddenly, Leafeon disappeared, causing Umbreon to skid to stop. It looked around, wondering where its opponent went.

"But how…," Dark began before Gavin got his attention.

"My Leafeon has a very high speed compared to some of the other evolutions of Eevee," Gavin explained. "Use Leaf Blade!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Leafeon appeared, its leaf now glowing a light green as it slashed at Umbreon. Umbreon was sent flying backwards until it landed on its feet and stopped in front of Dark.

"Alright, then. If speed won't work, let's try Faint Attack!" Dark ordered.

Umbreon began running at its opponent until it disappeared.

"Leafeon, use Dig!" Gavin instructed.

Leafeon quickly dug into the ground, eventually out of sight just as Umbreon reappeared next to the hole.

"Where'd it go?" Dark muttered.

"Leafeon, hit it with an X-Scissor!" Gavin yelled.

Abruptly, Leafeon burst out of the ground under Umbreon, a glowing blue "X"-like energy out in front of it. Umbreon was launched into the air, doing several flips until it landed gracefully back in front of Dark.

'_How does it keep landing so easily_?' Gavin thought.

"Umbreon, use Shadow Ball!" Dark shouted.

Umbreon opened its mouth and launched a shadowy orb at its opponent.

"Use Energy Ball!" Gavin commanded.

The leaf on Leafeon's head glowed white as a green ball of energy formed in front of its mouth. Then, it fired the ball at Umbreon's attack, causing both to create an explosion when they collided.

"Now, Leafeon, use Aerial Ace!" Gavin ordered.

Leafeon began charging at Umbreon, its body surrounded by white streaks as it came closer to its target.

"Stop it with Screech!" Dark instructed.

Umbreon opened its mouth and let out an earsplitting screech at Leafeon, causing the latter to stop in its tracks.

"Now, Umbreon, use Pursuit!" Dark yelled.

Umbreon ran at Leafeon, its body cloaked in dark energy. It then tackled Leafeon and sent the Verdant Pokémon flying. Leafeon landed on the ground in front of Gavin.

"Leafeon!" Gavin said, crouching down to get a good look at it. "Are you okay?"

Leafeon looked at him and nodded. It then stood back up and glared at the Moonlight Pokémon.

"Awesome!" Gavin said as he stood back up. "Use Sunny Day!"

Leafeon opened its mouth and launched a yellow orb of light up into the sky. Suddenly, the sun became much brighter, causing Dark to have to squint and Gavin to put on his shades.

"Now, use Synthesis to gain back some energy!" Gavin said enthusiastically.

Leafeon looked up at the sunlight and began to relax as the energy bathed on its entire body, causing its body to glow white and sparkle.

"Hurry, Umbreon!" Dark said, a bit nervous about what would happen if Leafeon got its full strength back. "Shadow Ball-barrage!"

Umbreon opened its mouth and began to shoot multiple Shadow Balls in a rapid-fire blast at the Grass-type. Just as the orbs of shadow came closer, the sparkling of Leafeon's body ceased.

"Great! Now, use Solarbeam!" Gavin directed.

Leafeon opened its mouth and fired an enormous yellow blast of light at Umbreon. As the blast came closer to the Dark-type, all of the Shadow Balls that it had launched fizzled out, until the blast hit its target.

Umbreon was shot backwards until it just barely landed on all fours in front of his trainer. It breathed heavily after battling so hard.

"_We've gotta finish this quick!_" Dark thought. "Use Last Resort!"

"Leafeon, the same!" Gavin yelled.

The two ran at each other, both of their bodies surrounded by a bright white glow. As soon as the two collided, a huge explosion erupted in the middle of the battlefield. Both of them flew back, landing in front of each of their respectable trainers. They each struggled to stand up after such an intense battle.

Then, Umbreon unexpectedly winced and fell to the ground. Everyone could see that the Moonlight Pokémon had swirls in its eyes.

"Umbreon is unable to battle! Leafeon is the winner! The victory goes to Gavin!"

* * *

><p>The crowd cheered after witnessing such an interesting and exciting battle. Gavin and Dark each returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs, gave each other a nod, and then walked off of the field.<p>

As Gavin got back to the section that the others were sitting in, he noticed his rival was face-down on the floor between two of the rows, along with Gary and Tracey.

"Uh…," He said hesitantly, "What happened here?"

"Your girlfriend…," Gavin heard Walker's voice say in a muffled tone, "…and Misty did this."

"Well, you'd better get up," Gavin said, attempting to pull Walker up, "You're up next."

With help from the others, the three trainers were pulled off of the floor, and Walker started off towards the battlefield. Gavin then proceeded to sit down in between Ash and Dawn.

"Did he really deserve that?" Gavin asked.

"Do you want to find out?" Dawn huffed, as she was still annoyed with Walker.

"Uh, no thanks," Gavin replied, quickly turning to watch his rival's battle.

* * *

><p>"Let the battle begin!" The referee yelled.<p>

"Articuno, show yourself!" Jeff said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, the legendary bird of Ice appeared, landing onto the field gracefully, causing the crowd to once again become awestricken at the sight of it.

Walker thought a moment before a wide grin appeared on his face. He took a Pokéball from one of his pockets and then threw it towards the field.

"Let's do this, Watt!" Walker shouted as the ball opened up, releasing a burst of blue light that formed the shape of his Pokémon.

As the light faded, everyone saw an Electivire standing on the field. Strangely though, this Electivire had more of an Electabuzz-like stripe pattern on its body. Watt grinned at Articuno in a sort of creepy way, such as all Electivire do.

"Articuno, let's begin with an Ice Beam!" Jeff commanded.

Articuno took off into the air and flew towards its opponent. A light blue ball formed in front of its beak, and then, beams of the same color were released from the ball at Watt.

"Watt, stop it with Electro Ball!" Walker instructed.

Watt held its two tails close together above its head, and a yellow orb of electricity formed in between them. Then, Watt pulled the ball and the two tails back before abruptly bringing them forward, launching its attack towards Articuno's like a catapult. The two attacks collided and then exploded in a display much like fireworks.

"Now, Watt, use Swift!" Walker ordered.

Watt opened its mouth and then fired a barrage of small yellow stars at the airborne Freeze Pokémon.

"Knock it away with Steel Wing!" Jeff directed.

One of Articuno's wings took on a metallic glow as it swung it at Watt's attack, knocking the stars towards the ground and creating a small cloud of dust on the field.

"Articuno, freeze it solid with Blizzard!" Jeff shouted.

Articuno began to flap its wings rapidly as a strong blizzard came out of them. The icy storm began to move quickly through the air at the Thunderbolt Pokémon.

"Hurry, Watt! Use Light Screen!" Walker yelled.

Watt put its hands out in front of its body and a yellow glass-like box appeared around it. The blizzard pounded against the cube, but to no avail as Watt still stood standing.

"Now, Watt, let's hit it with your Giga Impact!" Walker commanded.

Watt slammed its fists together in front of it and a purple orb with orange-yellow streaks spiraling around it appeared around its body. It then began rocketing up into the air towards the Ice/Flying-type.

"Show it your power with a Sheer Cold!" Jeff ordered.

Articuno's body became outlined in a light blue aura. It pulled its head back, opened its beak, and a spinning orb of bright blue energy formed in front of it. It then fired a powerful light blue beam of energy with light blue snowflake-shaped sparkles from the orb at Watt.

Watt had a surprised look on its face as the beam froze it inside its own Giga Impact attack. The chunk of ice that was now Watt fell to the ground, landing onto the field with a thud.

* * *

><p>"How did that happen?" Misty asked.<p>

"The combined power of Giga Impact and Light Screen must have protected Electivire from the one-hit KO effect that Sheer Cold usually has," Tracey decided.

"However, that didn't stop the intense cold from freezing it completely," Gary added.

"Walker's gonna have to think fast to get out of this," Iris commented. The others nodded in agreement.

"Brrr! I can feel the cold all of the way up here!" Meowth said, mock shivering.

* * *

><p>'<em>I've gotta figure out a way to break Watt out of that ice, but how?<em>' Walker's thoughts raced as Articuno loomed over his frozen Pokémon.

"Now, let's finish it off with Sky Attack!" Jeff directed.

Articuno's body became surrounded by a clear white aura as it flew up into the air and then began to swoop down towards the frozen Electivire.

'_What do I do? What do I do?_' Walker thought frantically as Articuno came closer and closer to Watt. Suddenly, Walker's face brightened as an idea popped into his head.

"Watt, charge up your electricity, quick!" Walker instructed.

Watt's whole body began to sparkle with yellow electricity beneath the thick layer of ice encasing it.

"Now! Give it a Thunder! Full blast!" Walker yelled.

The block of ice took on a large yellow glow until it burst apart in an explosion of yellow electricity. The blast continued further from Watt's body, hitting Articuno and causing it a lot of pain.

As the electricity faded, Articuno breathed heavily, as did Watt from using so much power in one attack.

"Watt, time to end this! Use Fire Punch!" Walker shouted.

"Articuno, use Aerial Ace!" Jeff called out to his Pokémon.

Articuno began flying rapidly at its foe, its body surrounded by white streaks of light. At the same time, Watt's fists became cloaked in a red-orange flame as it jumped into air towards the legendary bird of Ice. It aimed a fist and then punched hard.

Sparks flew as the two collided, pushing up against each other as fist met beak. Eventually, an explosion occurred, and the two flew backwards to the ground, both hitting it hard.

Seconds later, both Pokémon struggled to stand back up and continue fighting. Their bodies were covered in bruises. Suddenly though, Articuno flinched and fell to the ground. The mighty Ice/Flying-type now lay on the ground, knocked out cold.

"Articuno is unable to battle! Electivire is the winner! The victory goes to Walker!"

* * *

><p>As the crowd cheered, Walker thanked Electivire for a job well done and then returned it back into its ball. Suddenly though, he noticed Jeff who was recalling Articuno, causing the legendary bird to disappear in a flash of red light.<p>

Walker walked over to him and held out his hand as he said, "That was an awesome battle. One doesn't get the chance to battle a legendary every day. I actually thought that I was going to lose when you froze Watt solid. Nice job."

"Thanks, the same to you," Jeff said, now shaking the younger trainer's hand. "That's the first time that Articuno's lost a battle to anyone. We'll have to have a rematch one day."

Walker nodded and the two went their separate ways back to the stands. As Walker entered the tunnel, he noticed Leaf pass by, looking prepared for her third round battle. He gave her a wave and then continued on back to the stands.

* * *

><p>Leaf stood ready on the field with a single Pokéball sitting in her hand. Across the field from her was her opponent, Orange, who had his shiny Gengar beside him. One could tell that this was shaping out to be a good battle.<p>

"Let the battle begin!" The referee called out.

"Alright, Gengar, you ready?" Orange asked the Ghost-type floating next to him.

"Gen-gen-gar," The Shadow Pokémon nodded with a wide grin on its face. It then floated over onto the field in front of Orange, looking ready to fight.

Leaf then looked at the Pokéball in her hand, a look of determination appearing on her face. Then, she threw the Pokéball into the air as she yelled, "It's time to shine, Magneton!"

In a flash of light, a creature made up of three small, metallic spheres that were linked together appeared floating slightly above the ground at eye-level. Each sphere had a single big eye, a horseshoe magnet on their left and right sides, and three Phillips head screws (one on the top of their heads and two on the bottom).

"Gengar, let's kick things off with Shadow Ball!" Orange ordered.

Gengar held out its hands and a shadowy orb formed in between them. Then, with a sinister grin on its face, it threw the ball at Magneton. The orb moved through the air surprisingly fast as it came closer and closer to the Magnet Pokémon.

"Stop it with SonicBoom!" Leaf instructed.

All three of Magneton's magnets glowed white, and then it spun around, sending a white shockwave at Gengar's attack. The SonicBoom cut the Shadow Ball in half, causing it to explode in the middle of the field.

"Alright, Magneton!" Leaf cheered. "Now, use Zap Cannon!"

Magneton held its magnets together, and a yellow orb of electricity with a red center appeared in between them. It then fired it at Gengar amidst a burst of multiple sparks of electricity that emanated from the ball.

"Gengar, dodge it!" Orange directed.

Surprisingly swift for a Ghost-type, Gengar fiendishly flew out of the way of Magneton's attack at the last second, causing the electrical orb to miss and eventually explode when it hit the wall behind Orange.

"Gengar, let's try Brick Break!" Orange told his Pokémon.

Gengar nodded and then flew at Magneton, one of its arms glowing white as it loomed closer.

"Magneton, use Gyro Ball!" Leaf called out.

Magneton's body began to spin around rapidly and a glowing light blue ring appeared around it as it began to hit a high speed. It then moved through the air towards Gengar just as the Shadow Pokémon raised its arms up to strike. Due to its spinning, Gengar's attack was blocked just enough to only cause minimal damage, as opposed to the super-effective hit it could have had.

Both Pokémon were eventually knocked back after a few seconds. The two glared daggers at each other as they floated in their places in front of their trainers.

"Magneton, use Spark!" Leaf commanded.

Magneton's body became surrounded by sparkling blue electricity as it began rocketing towards Gengar.

"Stop it in its tracks with Shadow Punch!" Orange ordered.

Gengar raised one of its arms up into the air. Purple sparks then began to travel up its arm and soon appear around its fist. It then punched straight forward and sent a black fist with purple static electricity around it at Magneton. The fist struck Magneton so hard that it was knocked back several feet, stopping right in front of Leaf. It looked slightly weary from the damage that Gengar dealt it.

"Gengar, use Hypnosis!" Orange yelled with a smirk on his face.

Gengar chuckled as its eyes began to glow red. It then held out its hands and sent a wave of black circles at the Electric/Steel-type, who instantly fell asleep.

"Now, use Dark Pulse!" Orange shouted.

Gengar held out its hands and fired a barrage of shadowy circles at Magneton, knocking it back slightly as it dozed.

"Magneton!" Leaf said, cringing as her Pokémon took the hit.

"Follow it up with Thunder!" Orange yelled.

Gengar's body released a powerful blast of yellow electricity that sent Magneton flying back further than the last attack.

"Magneton, wake up!" Leaf cried out, looking distressed as her Pokémon was struck by the attack.

Magneton's body now had a few slight scuff marks from Gengar's attacks, but it continued to slumber, feeling nothing while it was in dreamland.

"Alright, Gengar! Let's finish it off with Dream Eater!" Orange said with a confident grin on his face.

A shadow-like version of the Ghost/Poison-type was released from Gengar's body and sent directly at the snoozing Magneton. The shadow went through it and Magneton stiffened as a great deal of its energy was sucked up. It then fell to the ground, hitting it with a thud.

* * *

><p>"No! It can't be!" Dawn said in shock.<p>

"I can't believe that Leaf…lost," Ash sadly commented.

"Well, I guess the battle's over," Max said, looking down at the floor along with the rest of the group, all of them with saddened expressions on their faces.

"No, it isn't…," They all suddenly heard Gary say. They looked over at him and saw a grin on his face.

"This battle is far from over," He continued, brimming with confidence. "Leaf's just getting started!"

* * *

><p>As soon as Gary finished saying this, Magneton amazingly floated back up into the air, looking perfectly fine despite the damage it had received from Gengar. It glared intensely at its ghostly opponent, ironically frightening the ghost.<p>

"How?" Orange muttered. He suddenly heard a laugh coming from across the field. Looking to the side, he saw Leaf with a determined smile on her face.

"It's Sturdy, Magneton's ability," Leaf explained. "It makes it so that you can't take it down with one hit. Now, let's really get this battle rolling! Magneton, use Mirror Shot!"

Magneton's eyes glowed white, and it then fired three green beams from its pupils that merged together in the middle to create a single larger green beam that it released at Gengar.

"Dodge it!" Orange instructed.

Gengar attempted to dodge the Steel-type attack, but the beam caught it in the side as it was moving out of the way, knocking it backwards a few feet.

"Gengar, fight back with Night Shade!" Orange commanded.

"Magneton, use Discharge!" Leaf ordered.

Gengar fired a black beam outlined in a dark crimson aura out of its eyes at its metallic opponent. Meanwhile, Magneton released several light blue beams of electricity from its body at Gengar's attack. The two attacks collided mid-field, creating a small explosion of black smoke.

"Gengar, use Sludge Bomb!" Orange yelled.

"Magneton, respond with Magnet Bomb!" Leaf shouted.

Gengar opened its mouth and fired a purple blast of sludge from it while Magneton fired a silvery, magnetic orb at it. A huge explosion erupted when the two "bombs" hit each other, covering the field in a fog of black smoke.

'_Good. Now, Gengar can strike from the shadows and she can't do anything about it_,' Orange thought happily.

"Magneton, use Gyro Ball!" He suddenly heard Leaf's voice call out from behind the fog of smoke.

"Aw, come on!" Orange said with an annoyed tone as Magneton began to spin rapidly. The Magnet Pokémon's spinning was so fast that it created a wind that blew away the smoke, instantly revealing the Shadow Pokémon's location.

"Alright, Gengar, it's time to end this," Orange said with a look of intensity in his eyes. "Use Shadow Claw!"

Gengar's hand became surrounded a dark purple aura that took the shape of a claw. It then began flying speedily towards its metal foe.

"Magneton, use Wild Charge!" Leaf called out.

Magneton began a charge at Gengar, its body now surrounded by yellow electricity, making it look gold and white. The two crashed into each other and sparks flew as each struggled to hold their ground against the other.

Finally, the two blew apart and flew backwards towards their trainers. The two Pokémon managed to skid to a stop in front of them, and both breathed heavily as they struggled to stay conscious.

Suddenly, though, Gengar winced and then fell to the ground. Everyone could see that it had swirls in its eyes.

"Gengar is unable to battle! Magneton is the winner! The victory goes to Leaf!"

* * *

><p>The crowd cheered manically after such an amazing battle. Meanwhile, Leaf was happily cheering herself with her Magneton.<p>

"Great job, Magneton!" Leaf said, beaming at her Pokémon.

Magneton buzzed happily, but it then unexpectedly fell to the ground. Apparently, it had fainted from exhaustion.

Leaf sighed as she recalled her unconscious Pokémon, saying, "Why don't you just take a good rest?"

Then, she noticed Orange walk up to her, having already recalled his fallen Gengar.

"Thanks for the awesome battle," He said with a grin. "I had a lot of fun."

"Me, too," Leaf replied with a smile. The two began to shake hands when they soon heard Mr. Battrio begin to speak over the intercom.

* * *

><p>"What a great day of battles!" Mr. Battrio exclaimed with enthusiasm. "Am I right?"<p>

The crowd cheered loudly in agreement. They soon stopped as they waited to hear about the semi-finals.

"Well, another round has come and gone," Mr. Battrio continued, "And now, we move on to the semi-finals with our four semi-finalists!"

The screen behind him lit up with pictures of Ash, Gavin, Walker, and Leaf. The crowd applauded even louder than before.

"Now, the rest of the tournament will be held in full, six-on-six battles as our semi-finalists battle for first-place! I hope you all will join me in tomorrow's battle between our first two semi-finalists, Ash and Gavin!"

* * *

><p>Ash and Gavin's pictures grew larger and filled up the screen causing the crowd to cheer even more.<p>

Meanwhile, as the group saw the screen, they all uneasily turned to look at the two cousins, who were already staring intently at each other.

"Well, Gavin, it's you and me tomorrow," Ash said with a grin. "Let's battle our hardest."

"You can count on it, coz," Gavin replied, confidently smiling in return.

"Pika!" Pikachu said, staring at its pre-evolution.

"Pi!" Pichu nodded, returning the eye contact with its slightly larger evolution.

Passion burned in all four of their eyes, making them feel like the only ones there were them and their opponents. It almost looked like they were on fire.

"Whoa, they're burnin' up!" Meowth said, slightly nervous as he watched the four, feeling the tenseness between them.

We've finally come to the semi-finals of the Kafue Town Battle Tournament. And first, it's a battle between the two equally-matched cousins. Who will win this heated match-up? Stay tuned in to find out!

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 37: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 8: The Clash of the Cousins!"<span>_- Ash and Gavin face off in a full six-on-six battle in the first battle of the semi-finals! But who will win and move on to the final round? To be continued…

**What awesome battles! I wonder who'll win the next battle? Ash or Gavin? We'll have to wait and see! Hope you guys liked the chapter! Read and Review!**

**I sincerely apologize to A.M.P.1008, raichukiller, darkmachines, and The Shiny Gengar for your losses. You don't know how much I hate making you all lose, and the same goes for all of the people who submitted OCs. I wish you could all win, but unfortunately, only one can win. You four also get a chance to be in the sequel, and I thank you, along with the rest of the people that submitted the OCs for the tournament for letting me use your OCs. You all are awesome and I thank you!**

**I want to also thank all of my readers for my 403 reviews, my 102 favs, my 60 story alerts, AND my 47,569 hits! When I first started this story, I ****never thought that it would be this popular, and if it was to be, I didn't think that the popularity would sprout this fast! I just want to say thank you to all of you!**

**One more thing, I'm back in school now, so I might be still slow at getting these chapters up. However, once this tournament's over, the chapters will go back to normal length, so I'll be able to update more often! **

**There is another aspect to that...I have been thinking about being lenient and allowing anonymous reviews again. HOWEVER, that means that there is to absolutely NO review wars or anything like what happened last time! Plus, I want only credible reviews! And by credible, I mean reviews that either offer congrats, healthy criticism, ideas that I can actually use, ****or all of the above. I will delete any anonymous reviews that I do not deem credible! However, I'm not allowing anonymous reviews yet...I want to see what you all think first before I do it.**

**Also, who should Ash and Gavin use in their battle next chapter? Ideas, please!  
><strong>


	37. Chapter 37

**Here's the newest chapter! Sorry, it took so long! I hope you enjoy it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. All characters belong to their respectful owners. I only own my OC.**

_Chapter 37: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 8: The Clash of the Cousins!"_

(Flashback)

_"…However, Gavin's the one I'm most worried about."_

_ "Why Gavin?" May said with a questioning look on her face._

"_Because out of all of the trainers that I could face, he's the one that could be the toughest to beat," Ash told her. "I've battled him before, but never in a tournament like this. He'll give his all, and from watching him battle, his all is pretty powerful."_

_ "Well, then," May said as he wrapped her arms around him reassuringly, "You'll just have to give your all as well."_

_ "Well, another round has come and gone," Mr. Battrio continued, "And now, we move on to the semi-finals with our four semi-finalists!"_

_ "Now, the rest of the tournament will be held in full, six-on-six battles as our semi-finalists battle for first place! I hope you will all join me in tomorrow's battle between our first two semi-finalists, Ash and Gavin!" _

_ "Well, Gavin, it's you and me tomorrow," Ash said with a grin. "Let's battle our hardest."_

_ "You can count on it, coz," Gavin replied, confidently smiling in return._

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>"Welcome, all of you to the first match of the semi-finals of the Kafue Town Battle Tournament!" Mr. Battrio's voice said boomingly through the microphone, causing the crowd to make a noise loud enough to make an Exploud jealous with all of their cheering.<p>

"Once again, these battles will be full, six-on-six battles where the winner is decided when all six of one of the trainers' Pokémon are knocked out, thus earning the other trainer the win. In these battles, our fields will go through unique changes of different types of terrain. When three of either side's Pokémon have been knocked out, the field will change randomly. Now, let's get this first battle between trainers Ash and Gavin started!"

* * *

><p>Only minutes later, both Ash and Gavin stood on opposite sides of the battlefield. Both of them stared at each other intensely as the crowd waited in anticipation for the battle to begin.<p>

Beside the two trainers stood each of their respectable partners, who glared at each other with sparks of yellow electricity dancing across their cheeks. The two Electric types looked just as ready to battle as their trainers did.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in the stands, the group all felt a twinge of both nervousness and excitement as the battle was about to start between their two friends. Strangely enough though, May and Dawn sat as far away from each other as they possibly could, not even looking at each other.<p>

"Uh, anyone care to tell me what's going on?" Walker asked.

"It's a precaution against any fights between the two of them," Misty simply stated.

"But, why?" Walker inquired with a look of shock on his face. "Catfights are awesome!"

Meowth glared at him, offended by the phrase, "catfight."

"Yes, they are," Brock said before getting his ear pulled by Misty, causing him to groan in pain.

"BUT," Iris began, "Ash and Gavin don't want any fighting between the two of them."

"So we agreed to separate the two of them for a while," Cilan finished.

"At least until the battle is over," Gary added.

Walker's head hung with distraught at the realization that there wouldn't be any catfights today. Brock patted him on the back, feeling his pain.

"Anyways," Leaf said, trying to change the subject, "does anybody know what Pokémon their using?"

"Nope," Max said, a little sad about that, "They wouldn't tell us anything."

"In other words," Tracey said as he stared down at the field, "There's no telling who'll win this battle."

* * *

><p>"Alright! We will now decide who will reveal their Pokémon first, and what the first terrain will be!" The referee announced.<p>

He then pushed a button, and the screen began to randomly shuffle between Ash and Gavin's faces. Finally, it landed on Gavin's face.

"Okay, then. Trainer Gavin will be the first to reveal his Pokémon! Now, for the field!"

Another button was pushed, and it shuffled through different icons, each representing a different type of terrain. It soon slowly began to stop, landing on a brown icon that looked similar to a mountain.

"The first field will be the Rock field!" The referee said, pushing a switch that caused the normal field to go into the ground. It was soon replaced by a field full of rock spires and gravelly terrain.

"Now, let the battle begin! Gavin, please choose your first Pokémon!" The referee told the brown-haired trainer.

* * *

><p>Gavin stared out at the field, pondering which Pokémon he should use.<p>

'_A rocky field, eh? I know exactly who to go with,_' Gavin thought with a smile, pulling his signature sunglasses over his eyes.

He took a Pokéball from his belt, enlarged it, and then threw it into the air, calling out, "Donphan, come on out!"

In a flash of blue light, the gray armored elephant appeared onto the field. Unlike Ash's Donphan, this Donphan was not as playful as it was older and more mature. A light shined off of its powerful-looking and long tusks.

* * *

><p>Ash thought about it for a moment. Gavin's Donphan's tusks were longer than the tusks of his own Donphan, so Ash knew that it was at a higher level. The only way to handle this Pokémon was to try to match it in strength.<p>

Ash quickly took a ball from his belt and the ball instantly grew to its full size. He then turned his hat around and threw the ball towards the field, yelling, "I choose you! Tauros!"

From the intense flash of light, the Wild Bull Pokémon materialized on the rocky field. It let out a mighty bellow, its three tails whipping about as it showed off its power. Though Ash had thirty Tauros in all back at Professor Oak's lab, this Tauros, who was in fact the leader of the herd, was the most powerful of them all and the one Ash called on whenever needed.

* * *

><p>On the screen in the middle of the stadium, two pictures of the two competitors appeared, along with six spots on each side of their pictures. Suddenly, on the first slot on Ash's side lit up with a picture of Tauros and a picture of Donphan appeared in one of the six spots belonging to Gavin.<p>

"Tauros versus Donphan! Let the match begin!" The referee said to the trainers.

"Tauros, use Take Down!" Ash commanded.

Tauros dug its feet into the ground several times. Then, it began to charge across the field, its body surrounded by a golden aura.

"Donphan, use Defense Curl!" Gavin instructed.

Donphan curled its body into a ball as Tauros came up to it and sent it flying backwards. Donphan's body spun as it flew through the air.

"Now, Donphan, use Rollout!" Gavin ordered.

Donphan's body began to spin in the opposite direction rapidly as it came down on a rock spire. Due to its spinning, Donphan was able to easily roll down the pillar of stone and continue rolling towards Tauros, who was sent skidding backwards.

"Tauros, let's shake it up with Fissure!" Ash shouted.

The battlefield suddenly began to shake as Tauros prepared to use its powerful attack. It then got up on its hind legs before bringing its front two hooves down hard, causing a white energy beam to slice the ground open. The crack continued to grow larger as it headed towards Donphan.

"Donphan, disperse it with Earthquake!" Gavin yelled.

Donphan got up on its hind legs and then brought its front two down onto the field. Suddenly, the waves of the Earthquake's shaking went down the battlefield and met with Tauros's Fissure. The white energy beam was split into two different directions, traveling away from Donphan and bringing down a few pillars of rock in the process. Finally, the shaking completely dispersed, and both Pokémon still stood strong on the field.

* * *

><p>"Amazing! Gavin used Donphan's Earthquake to split Tauros's Fissure, rendering it ineffective!" Brock exclaimed.<p>

"I guess that wasn't too bad," May grudgingly admitted. Dawn gave her a hard glare before returning her gaze to the field.

Walker sighed and once again hung his head as he thought to himself, '_At this rate, there won't be any catfight. Why do these things always happen to me?_'

* * *

><p>"Nice try, Ash," Gavin said with a grin, "but I'm always one step ahead of you!"<p>

"Well, let's see what you think of this!" Ash retaliated. "Tauros, use Zen Headbutt!"

The top part of Tauros's head and its horns glowed blue, creating a light blue reflective shield. It then began to charge towards Donphan, whipping its backside with its tails as it did in order to increase its speed and power.

"Donphan! Dodge it with Rollout and then use Fire Fang!" Gavin directed.

Donphan's body went back into a ball and it quickly rolled out of the way of Tauros's attack. It then brought its body out of the ball and ran at Tauros, its tusks now cloaked in intense flames.

"Tauros, use Double Team!" Ash told his Pokémon.

Tauros's body flashed white, and it instantly created multiple copies of itself. Donphan stopped in its tracks and the fire on its tusks went out. A hard, but confused expression was on the Armor Pokémon's face as it tried to figure out which Tauros was the real one.

"Donphan, try using Sandstorm to wipe out the copies!" Gavin ordered.

Donphan slammed its trunk into the ground and brought it up quickly; creating a tornado of sand from the dirt it kicked up. The tornado traveled towards the Tauros and caused the copies from Tauros's Double Team to fade instantly. Unfortunately for the original, however, it was caused a bit of damage due to the power of Donphan's attack.

"Tauros, use Rock Smash!" Ash commanded.

Tauros started to run towards Donphan, its hooves glowing a brighter orange with each step it took. Finally, it came up to Donphan, raised its front hooves in the air, and began to bring them down to strike its opponent.

"Donphan, use Ice Shard!" Gavin shouted.

Donphan opened its mouth and a light blue ball of ice started to form in between its tusks. However, Tauros brought its hooves down on the ice, shattering it completely and causing both Pokémon to be caught in a huge explosion of icy power.

As the smoke cleared, it was shown that both Pokémon were still standing, but just barely. Both were breathing heavily as they struggled to stand.

"Tauros, let's try your Horn Attack!" Ash yelled.

Tauros's horns took on a shining white glow. Then, it rushed towards Donphan with its head lowered and its horns pointing straight at its target.

"Donphan, use your Horn Attack as well!" Gavin said to the Armor Pokémon.

Like Tauros's horns, Donphan's tusks began to glow in a similar fashion. It held them up just as Tauros's horns came. Tusks struck horns, and the two Pokémon struggled against each other, each trying to dominate the other.

Sweat ran down both of the two cousin's brows as they watched the struggle that was going on in the middle of the rock field. Both Pokémon seemed to be equals in strength, but neither of them looked like they could last for much longer.

"Tauros, use Work Up!" Ash suddenly called out.

Gavin's eyes widened behind his sunglasses as the Wild Bull Pokémon's body began to glow in a light red aura. Its strength then increased tenfold and it started to push Donphan slowly but surely across the field. Donphan struggled to stop Tauros from pushing it, but Tauros's renewed strength was too much for it.

"Now, Tauros! Let's end this with Take Down!" Ash said with a determined grin on his face.

Tauros then temporarily pulled its horns away from Donphan's tusks, and before the Ground-type could react, it tackled it in a golden headbutt, sending it flying backwards through the air until it crashed into a rock spire. The impact caused the spire to crumble, creating a dust cloud that covered the field.

As the dust cleared, Donphan's head could be seen sticking out of the gravel that otherwise covered the rest of its body. It lay there unconscious with swirls in its eyes.

The referee pointed one of its flags at Donphan and then raised the other flag into the air as he said to the crowd, "Donphan is unable to battle! Tauros is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"Well, looks like Ash has the advantage," May said smugly.<p>

"Yeah? Well, let's just see how long that advantage lasts," Dawn replied with a curt smile.

"Something tells me that eventually, there's gonna be trouble," Brock said with a slightly fearful look on his face.

"Oh, wow. How could you possibly know that?" Max said in a sarcastic tone.

* * *

><p>Tauros let out a mighty bellow as it celebrated its victory. Ash then took out a Pokéball and said to his Pokémon, "That was awesome, Tauros! How about you take a rest and I'll use you later?"<p>

Tauros nodded and gave its trainer a grunt as a red beam of light shot out from the circular device, causing the bull to disappear into the ball in a flash of red light.

Ash looked down at the ball in his hand with a smile, then, put the ball back onto his belt. He then thought a moment before taking one of his four other Pokéballs and hurling it through the air.

"I choose you, Infernape!" Ash shouted as the ball released a large flash of light.

* * *

><p>Gavin held out Donphan's Pokéball and proceeded to recall the Armor Pokémon back into its ball. After the deed was done, Gavin gave a sigh and looked down at the ball with a half-smile.<p>

"You were great, Donphan," Gavin said to the fallen Pokémon within the ball. "Take a well-deserved rest."

He then hooked the device back onto his belt before he took another Pokéball from his belt and enlarged it. Gavin flung the ball towards the field and yelled, "Magmar, come on out!"

* * *

><p>Two flashes of blue light lit up the field as two new Pokémon appeared onto the rocky field. One was the brown Sinnoh native Flame Monkey Pokémon while the other was the red Spitfire Pokémon most commonly found in the Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh regions. Just as the two Fire-types appeared, the screen lit up with pictures of Infernape and Magmar while blacking out Donphan's slot and graying Tauros's.<p>

"Magmar, let's warm things up with a Flamethrower!" Gavin commanded.

Magmar's eyes glowed orange. Then, it released a red-orange stream of fire from its mouth at Infernape.

"Infernape! Dodge it and then use Mach Punch!" Ash instructed.

Infernape jumped and quickly ran out of the way, thus dodging Magmar's attack. It then began to run at its Fire-type opponent. As it came closer, it aimed a punch and its fists glowed light blue.

"Magmar, block it with Cross Chop!" Gavin ordered.

Magmar's forearms began to glow white as it crossed its arms, forming a white "X." It then used the maneuver to just barely block Infernape's Mach Punch. As it struggled to hold against Infernape's Mach Punch, Magmar only slightly moved an inch backwards.

"Now, Magmar, disappear with Smokescreen!" Gavin yelled.

Magmar released a thick cloud of black smoke from its mouth straight into Infernape's face. Then, while Infernape coughed from the smoke, Magmar took the opportunity to get away from it and hide itself amongst the rock spires and the smoke. When the smoke had finally cleared, Infernape looked around, wondering where its foe had disappeared to.

'_Where could it be?_' Ash thought as he tried to search for the slightest bit of movement throughout the rocky terrain. Suddenly, though, an idea popped into his head. "Infernape, try listening for it by using Calm Mind!"

Infernape nodded with a grin on its face, and then it proceeded to shut its eyes. An aura of calm emanated from its body as it listened for Magmar. Finally, it heard a faint cracking, like from a campfire. In this case, however, it was Magmar's tail-flame. Infernape opened its eyes and glared at a rock spire about twenty feet away from it.

"Alright, Infernape, use ThunderPunch!" Ash shouted.

Infernape jumped into the air towards the rock spire where it knew the Spitfire Pokémon was hiding. Its fist was cloaked in yellow electricity as it prepared its attack.

"Just like I wanted you to," Gavin muttered with a smirk on his face. "Magmar, use Lava Plume!"

Abruptly, Magmar caused an explosion around it, sending Infernape flying back to the ground. A mix of fire and smog covered the area, hurting with the flames. Infernape cried out in pain.

"Infernape!" Ash called out. The smog soon cleared, and Infernape could be seen still standing. Infernape looked mad after having been hit by the sneak attack.

"Infernape, are you okay?" Ash asked.

"In-fer-nape!" The Flame Pokémon nodded without even looking at its trainer. It seemed to be glaring daggers at its Fire-type foe.

"Alright, then!" Ash said determinedly. "Use Dig!"

Infernape immediately dived into the ground, digging into it with its hands.

"Magmar!" Gavin yelled to his Pokémon. "Stay up on the rock spires so that Infernape can't reach you!"

Magmar nodded and remained in its place atop the high pillars of rock.

"Oh, I don't think that'll work," Ash said with a confident smile. "Use Flare Blitz!"

Gavin's eyes widened as the entire field began to turn red from the rocks heating up. Fire burst from the ground, causing Magmar to be shot into the air as the fire sent it flying. It soon landed back onto the ground, covered in burn marks and bruises.

* * *

><p>"That's the same technique that Ash had Infernape use against Paul back in the Lily of the Valley Conference in Sinnoh!" Brock exclaimed.<p>

"Really?" Leaf said, curious. "Why'd he do that?"

"It was to cancel out Paul's Drapion's Toxic Spikes attack," The breeder explained.

"Wow," Walker said, impressed by the Ash's power of quick-thinking.

* * *

><p>Infernape crawled out of its hole and proudly looked over its downed foe. However, Magmar began to get up, surprising both Ash and Infernape.<p>

"But how?" Ash said, utterly shocked that Magmar had survived that attack.

"You don't think Dawn never told me about the underground Flare Blitz, do you?" Gavin asked, with a smile on his face. "I'll admit that I was surprised that you'd use it against me, but it'll take a lot more than that to bring down Magmar."

Magmar finally stood back up fully, its tail-flame crackling with power as it prepared to continue its fight with Infernape.

Ash was impressed. Once again, he saw a trait in Gavin's Pokémon that many of his held: an unwillingness to give up.

"Now, Magmar! Use Faint Attack!" Gavin commanded.

Magmar suddenly disappeared, causing Infernape to look around for its opponent. Magmar reappeared next to Infernape as quick as it had disappeared and then punched the Sinnoh Fire starter in the face, sending it stumbling back a few inches.

"Infernape, fight back with ThunderPunch!" Ash ordered.

"Magmar, block it with your ThunderPunch!" Gavin instructed.

Infernape flung its yellow-electric sparkling fist at Magmar, but its attack was blocked by Magmar, whose fist also was currently lit up in yellow electricity.

"Now, Magmar, use Smog!" Gavin directed.

Magmar opened its mouth and released a thick, gray smoke from it, causing Infernape to stumble back as it began to cough.

"Infernape, don't breath it in! Try using Counter Shield to get rid of it!" Ash called out.

Infernape nodded, and its body suddenly became surrounded by the fire from its Flame Wheel attack. It then began to release fire whips everywhere, causing the smog to be blown away from it.

"Infernape, use Close Combat!" Ash told the Fire/Fighting-type.

At great speed, Infernape ceased its attack and ran at Magmar. It soon began punching and kicking its opponent repeatedly, causing a great deal of damage to it.

"Magmar, stop it with Psychic!" Gavin cried out.

Magmar's eyes began to glow a bright light blue color. Infernape's body instantly became outlined by a similar light blue glow and it was unable to move or attack any further.

"Throw it back!" Gavin said, pointing in the direction that Infernape was to be thrown.

Magmar, with its eyes still glowing blue, thrust its hands in the direction that its trainer had indicated. Infernape was swiftly thrown through the air, the light blue outline disappearing as it was thrown.

"Infernape, try to get yourself to a rock spire by using Acrobatics!" Ash advised to his Pokémon.

Infernape began to do several graceful flips through the air, and then managed to make its way over to the nearest rock pillar, catching it like a trained acrobat.

"Infernape, it's time to end this!" Ash yelled. "Use Flare Blitz!"

Infernape's body became surrounded by red-orange fire and it shot towards Magmar similar to a missile. As it flew towards it, the flames around Infernape turn light blue.

"Magmar, use Hyper Beam!" Gavin shouted.

Magmar opened its mouth and fired a powerful beam of pink energy surrounded by white energy at its foe. As the attack collided, a struggle of power occurred as both attacks attempted to hit their mark. Finally, as Infernape and Magmar were face-to-face, an explosion occurred, sending both Pokémon flying and covering the battlefield in a cloud of thick, black smoke.

As the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were still standing, although breathing heavily. It looked as if the battle would continue, but then, Infernape's body was surrounded by red sparks, causing it pain from Flare Blitz's recoil damage effect. Infernape then fell face-forward to the ground, landing with a thud. As it lay on the rocky field, it had swirls in its eyes.

"Infernape is unable to battle! Magmar is the winner!" The referee called out.

* * *

><p>Dawn smirked as she looked over at May and said, "What do you think now?"<p>

May was steaming, just barely managing to spit out, "It's not over yet."

* * *

><p>Infernape looked distraught as Ash helped it up. Ash, however, smiled at it and said, "You did a great job, Infernape. I'm proud of you. You take a good, long rest."<p>

Ash then held out the Fire/Fighting-type's Pokéball and recalled it, causing Infernape to disappear in a flash of red light.

Ash stood back up and looked down the field to see Gavin returning Magmar to its ball. Both of them then took a Pokéball from their belts as the battle continued.

They both threw the balls into the air and each yelled, "I choose you, Unfezant/Crobat, come on out!"

In a flash of blue light, two Pokémon took their places in the sky. On Ash's side of the field, a gray game bird-like creature with yellow eyes flapped its wings gracefully as it kept itself aloft. On Gavin's side, there was a purple bat-like creature with four wings and a grin that showed its teeth. Pictures of the two Pokémon now each took a slot as the screen was updated.

"Unfezant versus Crobat! Begin!" The referee decreed.

"Unfezant, use Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.

Unfezant began to fly at Crobat at a super-fast speed, a white streak following it as it flew across the field.

"Dodge it, Crobat!" Gavin told his Pokémon.

Just as Unfezant was about to hit the Bat Pokémon, Crobat disappeared and reappeared several feet higher in the air, dodging Unfezant's attack completely.

"How did it dodge that?" Ash thought out loud. He was utterly shocked by Crobat's great feat of speed.

"My Crobat's a lot faster than most Pokémon," Gavin answered with a confident smile on his face. "Very few are actually able to even hit it. Now, Crobat, use Air Slash!"

Crobat's wings glowed white as it flapped them and threw a clear crescent of air at its opponent.

"Unfezant, stop it with Air Cutter!" Ash instructed.

Unfezant waved its wings in an "X" like motion, releasing a light blue "X" shaped energy from the tips of its wings at Crobat's attack. The two attacks collided and caused a small explosion.

"Unfezant, use Razor Wind!" Ash commanded.

Unfezant flapped its wings, both of which were glowing white, and multiple white crescent-shaped energy disks were shot at Crobat.

"Crobat, deflect them with Steel Wing!" Gavin directed.

All four of Crobat's wings took on a metallic sheen and it began flapping them in different directions as Unfezant's attacks came. It knocked all of the crescents away to the ground below, breaking apart several rock spires in the process.

"Use Sky Attack!" Ash yelled determinately.

Unfezant flew up into the air and began to fly straight down at Crobat. Its body then became surrounded by a clear aura with white energy around it as it reached top speed.

"Crobat, use X-Scissor!" Gavin shouted.

Crobat's body took on a light blue aura, forming into a light blue "X" like energy formation in front of it. It then flew straight towards Unfezant, and the two collided in mid-air. Sparks flew as both fliers struggled to overcome the other's power. Eventually, a small explosion occurred and both were sent flying in opposite directions. Unfezant was sent upward while Crobat was sent hurtling towards the ground.

"Unfezant balance yourself out!" Ash cried out to the Unovan Pokémon.

Unfezant nodded, and with a quick wing movement, managed to stop its abrupt ascent, once again perfectly balanced.

"Crobat, stop your descent with Twister!" Gavin called out.

Crobat opened its tightly-shut eyes and then thrust its wings forward, releasing a horizontal tornado that began to slow its descent. Finally, its descent was slowed enough to where it could turn and fly back up into the air close to Unfezant.

"Crobat, use Cross Poison!" Gavin commanded.

Crobat crossed its wings, all four of which began to glow a deadly purple, forming a large purple "X" in front of its body. It then thrust its wings forward and launched the "X" at Unfezant.

"Unfezant, stop it with Gust!" Ash yelled.

Unfezant flapped its wings once and a powerful gust of wind was released in the direction of Crobat's attack. The wind kept Crobat's attack at bay for a few seconds, but it soon somehow got through and continued heading straight for the Proud Pokémon until it hit it straight in the chest.

"Unfezant!" Ash cried out as his Pokémon screamed in pain.

Unfezant's body lit up in a bright purple aura with purple static coursing around its body. As Unfezant let out a shriek, Ash knew what was wrong. It had been poisoned.

* * *

><p>"Oh, no!" May said with a look of fear on her face.<p>

The entire group, including Dawn, watched on in alarm as the Unfezant cried out in its pain. What could Ash do?

* * *

><p>'<em>What can I do?<em>' Ash's thoughts raced as the sinister purple light around the Normal/Flying-type faded. '_With Unfezant poisoned, Crobat has the advantage…_'

Suddenly though, Ash's eyes lit up as an idea made its way into his head.

'_Maybe we can use that poison to our advantage,_' Ash thought with a newfound confidence.

He looked up at Unfezant and then shouted, "Unfezant, use Facade!"

Unfezant gave out a mighty cry as white electricity began to sparkle around its body. It then became surrounded in an orange aura and started to fly straight towards its Poison/Flying-typed foe.

"Crobat, dodge it!" Gavin called out, a tone of uneasiness clear in his voice.

Crobat attempted to dodge, but before it could even get a few feet away, Unfezant rammed right into it, sending it flying towards the rocky field, where it landed with a thud. It struggled to get up, but stopped when it saw Unfezant looming angrily over it.

"Unfezant, finish it off with Air Slash!" Ash ordered.

Unfezant's wings glowed light blue and it then flapped them, releasing multiple light blue glowing saw disc-like energy blades at the Bat Pokémon. An explosion occurred, creating a huge cloud of dust.

As the dust cleared, Crobat lay on the ground unconscious with swirls in its eyes.

"Crobat is unable to battle!" The referee announced. "Unfezant is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"You were great, Unfezant!" Ash said, praising Unfezant. Unfezant replied back with a happy chirp, but then, its body lit up in a sinister purple light as the effects of the poison continued to harm it.<p>

"Unfezant, come on back and take a good rest!" Ash said as he quickly recalled his Pokémon back into its ball. He then noticed that Gavin had already returned the fallen Crobat to its ball and was ready to continue their battle.

"Whenever you're ready," Gavin said with a friendly smile.

Ash returned the favor with a grin and then took a Pokéball from his belt, threw it into the air, and yelled, "Ivysaur, I choose you!"

In a flash of light, the Seed Pokémon appeared, looking ready for any Pokémon that Gavin might throw out.

Strangely enough, Gavin never lost the confident smile that was currently on his face. He unhooked a Pokéball from is belt and said, "Perfect. We've been waiting for this rematch for a long time. Leafeon, come on out!"

Instantly, the Verdant Pokémon appeared on the rocky field in a burst of blue light. A burning passion seemed to emanate from it as it looked upon its opponent. Ivysaur began to look slightly unnerved, as well as its trainer. The last time that Ivysaur had faced Leafeon, it had only been a playful Eevee. Who knows what the Grass-type evolution was capable of now?

"You know, Ivysaur was the Pokémon that inspired Leafeon to take the path of a Grass-type," Gavin said as-a-matter-of-factly. "Ever since that first battle, Leafeon has been training to get better in order to face Ivysaur again. Now, it's time. Leafeon, use Sunny Day!"

Leafeon opened its mouth and launched a yellow orb into the air. As the ball of light faded, the sunlight began to take on a more intense shine.

'_What's he up to?_' Ash thought as he squinted slightly so that he could see. "Ivysaur, be careful! They're up to something!"

"Saur!" Ivysaur nodded before glaring at its opponent.

"Leafeon, use Razor Leaf!" Gavin commanded.

Leafeon's leaves began to glow a bright green as it whipped its head around and released a barrage of multiple razor sharp leaves at its opponent.

"Ivysaur, deflect them with Vine Whip!" Ash instructed.

Two dark green vines came out of Ivysaur's bulb and it began to whip them about, stopping the leaves in their tracks and rendering them harmless.

"Leafeon, Quick Attack!" Gavin shouted.

Leafeon began to run at Ivysaur, quickly jumping from rock to rock at a blinding speed. A white streak followed it as it ran.

"Ivysaur, stop it with Leaf Storm!" Ash yelled.

The leaves on Ivysaur's back glowed bright green. It then released cyclone of wind and glowing leaves at the oncoming Leafeon.

"Leafeon, quick, use Dig!" Gavin told his Pokémon.

With the speed of its Quick Attack, Leafeon used its front paws to dig into the ground until it disappeared from view. It just barely was able to avoid Ivysaur's attack.

Ivysaur suddenly looked tense as it tried to figure out when and where Leafeon was going to come up. However, while it was looking around, Leafeon came up right behind it.

"Ivysaur, look out behind you!" Ash called out.

Ivysaur quickly turned around just as Gavin yelled to Leafeon, saying, "Shadow Ball!"

Leafeon began charging a shadowy orb in front of its mouth. Ivysaur's eyes widened in fear as the orb grew larger and larger.

"Ivysaur, get out of there! Use Vine Whip!" Ash said with a tone of great urgency.

Ivysaur hurriedly released a dark green vine from its bulb and extended it towards the nearest rock spire. Then, it used the vine to pull itself out of the way as Leafeon fired its Shadow Ball at it. Luckily, Ivysaur just managed to get out of there just in time before the orb exploded where it once stood.

"Now, Ivysaur! Use Seed Bomb!" Ash commanded.

Ivysaur, who was still hanging by a vine from the rock pillar, swung itself into the air, and once it was above Leafeon, it opened its mouth and fired multiple glowing white seeds at it.

"Leafeon, use Swift!" Gavin ordered.

Leafeon raised its head up at where the seeds were coming, opened its mouth and then released a blast of numerous yellow stars. The two attacks collided, creating an explosion in the air.

As the smoke cleared, the crowd watched as Ivysaur landed on all fours in front of Leafeon with a mighty thud. Both Pokémon glared at each other as they prepared to continue the battle.

"Ivysaur, use Take Down!" Ash directed.

"Leafeon, dodge it and then use Leaf Blade!" Gavin instructed.

Ivysaur began to charge towards Leafeon, its body surrounded by a golden aura. Leafeon gracefully leaped out of the way and then slashed at the Seed Pokémon with the glowing green leaf on its head. Ivysaur stumbled back from the hit, shook its head, and gave Leafeon a look of anger.

"Ivysaur, try using Sleep Powder!" Ash shouted.

A sparkling, light blue powder was suddenly released from Ivysaur's bulb. It came out towards Leafeon, but then, Leafeon's leaves suddenly began to glow green and an energy shield appeared around it, blocking the Sleep Powder completely.

* * *

><p>"Huh? How come Sleep Powder didn't affect it?" Max thought out loud.<p>

"That's Leafeon's ability, Leaf Guard," Brock answered.

"Leaf Guard?" Iris repeated.

"Yes, it's an ability that activates in strong sunlight and protects the user from status problems such as Sleep and Poison," Cilan explained.

"So that's why Gavin had Leafeon use Sunny Day straight off," Walker said, highly impressed by his rival's strategy.

"Yeah, he must have known that Ash would have had Ivysaur use attacks like PoisonPowder and Sleep Powder, so he had Leafeon protected from the beginning," Leaf added.

While the others were talking, May and Dawn wouldn't even look at each other. Both of them had angry looks on their faces. Tracey then leaned into Misty and whispered, "Have your mallet ready in case things get ugly."

"Why do you guys always assume that I have my mallet on me?" Misty hissed back.

"Do you?" Gary asked.

Misty opened her mouth like she was about to say something, but then stopped, face faulted, and grudgingly said, "Yes."

"And I thought it was bad with Jessie and James," Meowth said to Piplup, Croagunk, and Glaceon, who were all sitting beside him. Both Piplup and Glaceon seemed to be embarrassed by the way that their trainers were acting.

* * *

><p>'<em>So that's his game,<em>' Ash thought, enthralled by his cousin's strategy. _'Well played, coz. Well played. But he's not the only one that can use that sun to his advantage._'

He then yelled out, "Ivysaur, use Solarbeam!"

"The same, Leafeon!" Gavin ordered.

Both Pokémon then fired a powerful beam of yellow solar energy from their bulb/mouth at each other. The two blasts collided and exploded mid-field.

"Alright, it's time to finish this round," Ash said determinately. "Ivysaur, use Double-Edge!"

Ivysaur began a mighty charge towards its opponent; a yellow streak followed it as it ran.

"Leafeon, use Aerial Ace to get behind it!" Gavin commanded.

Leafeon ran at a high speed down the field with white streaks surrounding its body. It then gracefully jumped over the rampaging Ivysaur and slid to a stop behind it. Ivysaur braked as hard as it could until it was able to skid to a stop. It then turned around to see Leafeon looking extremely fierce.

"Leafeon! Knock it out with Solarbeam!" Gavin shouted.

Before Ivysaur could react, Leafeon fired an intense beam of yellow light at it from its mouth. Ivysaur was hit straight-on, causing it to be sent flying into a rock pillar. The impact with the pillar knocked it out.

"Ivysaur is unable to battle! Leafeon is the winner!"

* * *

><p>At this point, everyone looked back up at the screen. Both trainers had lost two Pokémon now, and they each still had four left. Two of them on each side had already been in battle, so they wouldn't last too long. The two left on each side that hadn't battled yet still remained a mystery.<p>

Ash quickly recalled Ivysaur, while Gavin did the same for Leafeon. They then each took a Pokéball in hand and prepared for the next round.

"Tauros, I choose you!" Ash said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

"Magmar, come on out!" Gavin yelled as he hurled a ball at the field.

In a flash of light, the Wild Bull Pokémon and the Spitfire Pokémon reappeared onto the field. Both had taken a lot of damage before in their previous battles, and it didn't look like either would be able to fight for too long.

"Tauros, let's end this quickly with Giga Impact!" Ash told his Pokémon.

Tauros let out a mighty cry and then it began to charge towards Magmar. A purple energy surrounded it body with orange streaks spiraling around it.

"Magmar, use Hyper Beam!" Gavin said as a glint of light slid down his sunglasses.

Magmar opened its mouth and fired a powerful beam of pink energy surrounded by white energy at its opponent. However, instead of knocking out the charging foe like it had earlier when Infernape used Flare Blitz, Tauros ran through the beam and endured the damage it gave it. Finally, it came at a shocked Magmar and rammed it straight in the chest, sending it flying towards the wall. The impact with the concrete instantly knocked it out.

"Magmar is unable to battle! Tauros is the winner!"

* * *

><p>Gavin returned Magmar to its ball and then looked at the referee, who called out, "Because three Pokémon on one side have been knocked out, we will be changing the terrain once again!"<p>

The screen went through a random shuffle and finally, it landed on the grass field. Everyone moved out of the way and watched as the rocky field went into the ground, and a grassy terrain took its place.

Gavin then threw a Pokéball into the air and yelled, "Leafeon, come on out!"

Instantly, the Verdant Pokémon reappeared onto the field, looking like it had a bit more energy left than the Wild Bull Pokémon.

"Leafeon, use Leaf Blade!" Gavin commanded.

"Tauros, use Horn Attack!" Ash ordered.

Leafeon ran through the many blades of grass at Tauros, jumped, and then did a flip in the air towards the bull. Its head-leaf began to glow light green as it flipped through the air. Tauros's horns glowed silver as it prepared to counter Leafeon's attack. Both Pokémon struck, and sparks flew as leaf met horn.

Soon enough, they broke apart from the collision. While Tauros stumbled backwards from the power that threw them back, Leafeon merely landed on its feet and prepared to go for the final blow.

"Leafeon, use Energy Ball!" Gavin directed.

The leaf on Leafeon's head glowed white and it formed a green ball of energy in front of its mouth. It then fired the ball at Tauros, who was caught in the side as it continued to stumble about in the slick grass. The blow sent it flying back a few feet until it landed on its side and slid back a few feet more. Everyone could see the swirls in its eyes.

"Tauros is unable to battle! Leafeon is the winner!"

* * *

><p>In less than a minute, Ash recalled the Wild Bull Pokémon back into its ball and then called Unfezant back out.<p>

In a blue flash, the Proud Pokémon landed onto the field, but as it did, it lit up in a bright purple energy with static coursing around it. Ash gritted his teeth as Unfezant screamed in pain, still poisoned from earlier.

"Unfezant, use FeatherDance!" Ash shouted.

Unfezant flew up into the air and spread its wings. Both of them began to glow white. It then shot glowing white feathers at Leafeon. As the feathers hit their mark, Leafeon began to look weaker and a little bit tired.

"Leafeon, use X-Scissor!" Gavin yelled.

Leafeon shook its head in an attempt to reinvigorate itself. It then began to run quickly down the field until it jumped into the air at its opponent. A light blue "X" shaped energy appeared in front of it as it flew towards Unfezant.

"Unfezant, use Air Cutter!" Ash told his Pokémon.

Unfezant waved its wings in an "X" like motion at Leafeon, sending a light blue "X" of energy from its wingtips at its opponent. The two "Xs" collided, and after a struggle of power, an explosion occurred. This caused Leafeon to be sent hurtling towards the ground. Leafeon struggled to stand up and face its opponent.

"Unfezant, finish it off with Sky Attack!" Ash called out.

Unfezant quickly flew up into the air, turned around, and then started rocketing towards its Grass-type foe. As it reached its top speed, its body was completely surrounded in a clear aura with white energy around it.

"Leafeon, hurry and use Shadow Ball!" Gavin said with a tone of fear.

Leafeon opened its mouth and started to form a shadowy orb in front of it. However, Unfezant reached it before the attack could be fired, causing an outburst of dust clouds and windblown blades of grass.

As the dust cleared, Leafeon lay on the ground with Unfezant standing over it. Unfezant truly looked proud as it overlooked its fallen opponent.

"Leafeon is unable to battle! Unfezant is the winner!"

* * *

><p>As Leafeon's picture was blackened out on the screen, Ash looked over at Unfezant and said, "You were amazing, Unfezant!"<p>

Unfezant gave a sort of mix between a chirp and a crow, gloating in its victory. It looked on as Leafeon disappeared in a flash of red light, puffing out its chest as the Verdant Pokémon completely vanished.

Suddenly, though, Unfezant's body once again lit up in the poison color as it suffered the effects of Crobat's poison.

"Unfezant!" Ash yelled in fear as he once again watched his Pokémon shriek in intense pain. This attack on its health seemed to hurt worse than the other times.

As the purple glow faded, Unfezant's eyes went wide and it fell forward to the ground. It hit the grassy ground with a soft thud and swirls were now in its eyes.

"Unfezant is unable to battle!" The referee announced.

With that, Ash had a face full of regret and sorrow for his Pokémon as he watched Unfezant's picture black out on the screen. He looked down at the ground as he recalled his Pokémon back into its ball.

As he continued to look down at the ball of his fallen Pokémon, a sad smile crept onto his face as he said, "That was some awesome battling, Unfezant. You definitely deserve a good rest."

He then hooked his ball back onto his belt and looked back up. He and Gavin both stared intensely at each other. The true battle of wills was about to begin.

* * *

><p>"Wow, this is one intense battle," Leaf said in awe as she and the rest of the group looked down at the field where their two friends stood.<p>

"And it's just about to get even more intense," Brock said grimly.

"Well, we all know that Gavin will pull off the win in the end," Dawn said with a smirk on her face.

"Oh, yeah? I'm pretty sure that Ash could beat him any day," May commented with a smug look on her usually smiling face. "Especially since he's dating someone whose hair looks like she just got out of bed this morning."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Dawn said angrily. If there was one thing that Dawn took pride in, it was her hair.

"You heard me," May snickered, knowing that she had hit a nerve.

"Uh, guys?" Max said, looking really scared.

"Calm down, you two," Brock tried to say, but neither of the two girls heard him.

"At least I have actual good taste in fashion!" Dawn replied with anger in her eyes.

"Oh, you want to go, Cheerleader?" May asked, daring Dawn to go any further.

"Bring it on, Princess!" Dawn replied with intense rage.

With that, chaos broke loose as the two girls began a scramble of kicks and punches, rolling around on the floor.

"Catfight! Catfight!" Walker said as he stood on his seat and cheered. He was happy now that he finally got his wish.

Then, as quick as it had started, the fight ended when Misty took out her deadly mallet and smashed both of the girls in the heads. The two coordinators were knocked out and all was at peace again.

"Aw, man," Walker said sadly. "I wanted to see more of the catfight."

He then sat down, unfortunately where Meowth's tail was, causing the Scratch Cat Pokémon to wince and yowl in pain.

"I can't give you a catfight, but how about some cat claw?" Meowth said furiously as he scratched Walker in the face.

"YOW!" Walker yelled as he held his now scratched face. He was about to get back at Meowth, but then, he saw the cat glaring at him angrily. Walker decided that it was best to let this one go.

* * *

><p>Ash looked down at Pikachu and said, "Are you ready, buddy?"<p>

Pikachu gazed back up at its partner, nodded, and said, "Pika!"

With that, Pikachu ran out onto the field in front of Ash and got down on all fours, waiting for whomever Gavin would choose to be its opponent.

Across the field, Gavin looked over at Pichu, who stood on the ground next to him.

"Go get him, partner," Gavin said, to which Pichu nodded enthusiastically. Pichu then sprinted out onto the grassy terrain and began its stare down with its evolution.

"Pikachu versus Pichu! Let the battle begin!" The referee called out.

"Pikachu, start off with an Electro Ball!" Ash commanded.

"Pika-pika-pika-pika-pika-chu-pi!" Pikachu chanted as it did a flip in the air and launched an orange-yellow orb of electricity from its tail at its opponent.

Pichu had a steely look in its eye as the orb of electricity headed towards it. The air crackled around the ball as it flew.

"Pichu, dodge it and then use Echoed Voice!" Gavin instructed.

Pichu quickly ducked, allowing the orb to fly over its head harmlessly. Then, it opened its mouth wide and let out a powerful sonic blast.

Ash and Pikachu, along with everybody else, held their ears as the sonic blast emanated throughout the stadium.

"PIKACHU!" Ash said; yelling loudly over Pichu's sonic shout. "USE DOUBLE-EDGE!"

Pikachu struggled to move as Pichu's shout continued to fill up its ears. Eventually, it began to slowly but surely run towards Pichu. As it reached its top speed, a yellow streak began to follow it.

"Pichu, use Endure!" Gavin ordered.

Pichu immediately broke off its Echoed Voice attack and then prepared to catch Pikachu in its attack.

As Pikachu tackled Pichu, both Pokémon slid backwards in Gavin's direction. Pichu gritted its teeth as it took the damage.

"Now, Pichu! Use Reversal!" Gavin directed.

"Pikachu, get out of there!" Ash yelled.

Three small light blue orbs appeared around Pichu's left arm. They began to swirl around its body until they reached its right arm. They went into its hand and caused it to glow a bright blue as it struck a shocked Pikachu in the gut. The blow sent Pikachu sliding back across the grass.

"Pikachu, try using your Thunderbolt!" Ash called out.

"Pika-chuuuuuuu!" Pikachu cried out as it released a powerful blast of yellow electricity from its cheeks at its pre-evolution.

"Pichu, use Light Screen!" Gavin shouted.

Pichu held out its hands in front of it and a golden box of light energy appeared around it. Pikachu's attack struck the box and it began to deflect it. However, even as it lessened the power of the attack, Pichu winced as it was dealt a good amount of damage.

Eventually, Pikachu's attack ceased, and Pichu's Light Screen faded away. It had taken every ounce of the attack's strength to withhold Pikachu's Thunderbolt.

"Pikachu, use Agility!" Ash told the Electric Mouse Pokémon.

Pikachu nodded, and then, it suddenly disappeared. It reappeared a few feet away, and soon disappeared again.

Pichu grimaced as it watched Pikachu continue to disappear and reappear throughout the grassy field at a super-fast speed. All of the sudden, Pikachu appeared just a few feet away from it.

"Now, use Iron Tail!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu jumped into the air and flipped towards Pichu; its tail turned to iron as it came down upon the Tiny Electric Mouse Pokémon.

"Pichu, dodge it!" Gavin said with haste.

Pichu managed to jump up and do a back flip out of the way. Once it landed back on its feet, it gave Pikachu a look of irritation.

"Pichu, use Thundershock!" Gavin commanded.

"Pi-chuuuuuuu!" Pichu cried as it released a bolt of electricity at Pikachu, who had just got back on its feet.

"Pikachu, block it with Thunderbolt!" Ash instructed.

Pikachu released a powerful blast of electricity at Pichu's attack. The two bolts of electricity collided into each other, creating an explosion of black smoke.

As the smoke cleared, both Pokémon could be seen standing in a face-off. The distance between the two Electric-types was only a few feet. They glared at each other as they prepared to see how the power of their attacks matched up.

* * *

><p>"I've never seen two Pokémon that matched up this well," Cilan said as he watched the battle in awe. "The flavors of their equal strength and speed are a delectable flavor."<p>

"Actually, I've been wondering about that for a while," Gary commented with a serious look on his face.

"What do you mean?" Leaf asked.

"Think about it," Gary began. "Pikachu is more powerful than the average Pikachu, right?"

The others nodded, except for May and Dawn, who were still unconscious.

"Well, how come Pichu is able to match up with it?" Gary questioned.

The others thought about it for a moment, unable to think of an answer to the question. Then, Gary continued, saying, "Well, I did some DNA testing, and after scanning a strand of fur that I got from each of them, I found out that…they're brothers."

"WHAT?" The others said in shock, instantly bringing May and Dawn back into consciousness.

"What happened?" May asked. "My head really hurts."

"Mine too," Dawn agreed, rubbing her head where Misty's mallet hit her.

The others simply ignored the two girls and turned back to Gary.

"But how is that possible?" Misty questioned. "Ash got Pikachu from Professor Oak and Gavin got Pichu from Professor Elm!"

"Well, I talked to Grandpa about it," Gary started to reply, "and he said that Pikachu and Pichu's eggs came from two trainers' Pikachu that mated. The two trainers apparently came from Pallet Town like me, Ash, and Leaf, and from what Grandpa has told me, they're two very powerful trainers."

"Wow," The others said in awe at this astonishing news.

"Do Ash and Gavin know about this?" Iris inquired.

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling that Pikachu and Pichu know," Gary answered.

"What other twists could this writer come up with?" Meowth asked no one in particular.

**(I told you guys that if anyone else broke the fourth wall, there was going to be trouble!)**

"No, you didn't," Meowth retaliated. "You said 'if any other _person_ breaks the fourth wall, there was going to be trouble.' I'm not a person. I'm a Pokémon!"

**(What are you…*flips back to Chapter 31.* Dang it! He's right! Curse you, stupid loophole!)**

Everyone sweat dropped as the writer cursed the loophole that Meowth had found. They then turned back to the field to watch the rest of the battle.

* * *

><p>The two brothers glared at each other as a breeze blew through the blades of grass that surrounded them. Even though it had taken a DNA test for the others to find out that they were of the same mother, these two Electric-types had sensed the connection since the beginning.<p>

'_Well, you ready for to finish this up, little brother?_' Pikachu asked in its native tongue.

Pichu nodded and replied, '_Yeah. Let's do this._'

Electricity began to dance across their cheeks. They both flexed their tails, and their ears stood up as they prepared for the next couple of attacks.

"Pikachu/Pichu, use Iron Tail!" Ash and Gavin told their Pokémon.

Both Pikachu and Pichu's tails took on a fierce metallic glow. They ran towards each other and then jumped into the air. As they each came at their opponent, they spun around in the air, and brought their tails in front of them just before they crashed into each other.

Sparks flew as the two tails of iron held against each other in a struggle of great power. After a few seconds, there was a blast of force that caused the two of them to be blown apart, sending both of them flying back towards their respectable trainers.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.

"Pichu, use Thundershock!" Gavin yelled.

"CHUUUUUUUUUU!" Both Pokémon cried out as they released immensely powerful bolts of yellow electricity at one another. The two blasts collided, causing another fog of black smoke to cover the field.

"Let's finish this off with Volt Tackle!" Ash and Gavin both said in unison.

The smoke suddenly cleared as the two Pokémon ran through it. Their bodies both were surrounded by yellow electricity as they ran towards each other. As the two rammed into each other, and as they hit impact, an eruption of crackling black smoke and the smell of burnt electricity to emanate and cover up the entire stadium.

After a few seconds of everyone coughing, the smoke finally cleared, and everyone peered down towards the field.

In the middle of the battlefield, there was a circle of dirt that had been created when the blast burnt the grass. In that large dirt circle, the two Electric-types stood facing each other in the middle of it, both panting heavily.

The two Pokémon managed to give each other a grin as they both struggled to retain consciousness. Suddenly, though, both of them winced out in pain and then, both of them fell to the ground with a soft thud. As they lay on the ground, one could see that both of them had swirls in their eyes and dazed looks on their faces.

"Neither Pokémon is able to continue! Therefore, this round is a draw!" The referee said as he stated his official ruling.

As he finished saying this, the two trainers both immediately ran onto the grass and dirt field towards their fallen Pokémon. Both of them crouched down, lifted their partner into their arms, and as they stood back up, their eyes met.

There was an unsteady tenseness in between them. As they continued to stare at each other, a burning passion seemed to emanate from the brown eyes that they shared. This stare down reminded the two of them of a time when they promised each other such a battle as this.

* * *

><p>(Flashback- Seven Years Ago; Pallet Town)<p>

_ It was a bright and sunny day filled with noise as several men and their large and strong Pok__é__mon were carrying box after box out of a small yellow house to a large truck parked on the road beside it. _

_ Close by was a relatively large hill with a particularly tall oak tree, whose shadow overlooked the scenery below. A few feet away from the edge stood a young boy of about eight with short brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a white T-shirt, black shorts, and red tennis shoes with black bottoms. _

_ A grim expression was on the boy's face as he watched the movers continue to pack up his and his family's things. His father had gotten a job in the Johto Region, so now he and his mother were going to go live in a place called New Bark Town. _

_ He sighed before he suddenly heard a voice behind him call out, "Hey, Gavin!"_

_ Gavin quickly turned around to see four kids around his age walking up towards him. The one that had called out to him and was now waving at him he knew all too well._

_It was a boy with messy raven-black hair, brown eyes similar to his, and a mark on each of his cheeks that was shaped like a sideways lightning bolt. He was wearing a dark red t-shirt with a yellow stripe down the middle, navy blue shorts, and black-and-white sneakers. It was his cousin, Ash Ketchum._

_On either side of Ash were two girls who were trying to keep up with the hyperactive raven-haired boy. One of the girls had long brown hair and brown eyes, and she wore a light green sleeveless T-shirt with a white skirt and matching pink-and-white tennis shoes. _

_The other was a girl with blonde hair that she kept pulled back into a pony tail and piercing ruby-red eyes. She wore a yellow tank top, light blue jeans, and black high-tops._

_Straggling along behind the three was a boy with spiky brown hair, brown eyes, and an annoyed expression on his face. He wore a blue t-shirt with a red collar, gray pants, and dark blue sneakers._

"_Oh, hey, guys," Gavin said in a sad tone. "What're you all doing here?"_

"_We wanted to come cheer you up," The brown-haired girl Gavin knew as Leaf said with a smile. "Right, Rose?"_

_The blonde girl nodded and then added, "Plus, it was the only way to get away from Daisy. She's been annoying us for hours, and we just had to get out of there as soon as we could."_

_Gavin nodded, and a reminiscent smile crept up onto his face. He then heard Gary snort and say, "So, Gavin, are you going to ever come back to Kanto? It just wouldn't be the same with only three losers to show up. And without you, Ashy-boy goes up to the fourth best trainer of Pallet Town!"_

"_Cool!" Ash said with a grin. Suddenly though, he realized the number of trainers in their class. "Hey, wait a minute!"_

_After a few minutes of fighting between Ash and Gary, the others finally broke the two of them up. Gavin then returned his gaze to his house below._

"_You know, Ash," Gavin began, "Since I'm moving, we won't be able to start our journeys together like we had planned."_

"_Yeah, but one thing won't change," Ash replied, causing Gavin to turn towards him with a confused look on his face. "I still want to have a battle with you one day. You think we can one day do that?"_

_A determined smile appeared on Gavin's face as he gave Ash a nod, saying, "You can count on it."_

"_Well, then, let's shake on it!" Ash said with a similar look on his face. _

_The two then grasped hands and did just that as a fire of passion burned within their twin brown eyes._

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>After taking their partners and walking back to their sides of the field, Ash and Gavin both carefully placed their fallen Electric-types onto the ground next to them.<p>

"Get some rest now, okay?" Ash and Gavin said in unison.

Pichu and Pikachu both nodded to their trainers; completely in sync with their timing.

The two trainers then took out their final Pokéballs. This next sub-match would determine the winner of the battle. Now, there was only one question on the crowd's minds: _What Pok__é__mon were the two trainers going to use?_

* * *

><p>Back in the stands, Brock's eyes suddenly widened (or at least seemed a bit less squinty) as realization came upon him.<p>

"What's wrong, Brock?" May asked. Both her and Dawn were now just a tiny bit less hostile due to them still being a bit dazed after waking up from their mallet-induced nap that they had had earlier.

"I just realized something," Brock began. "Haven't you all noticed that all of the Pokémon that Ash and Gavin have been using against each other have all been similar in skills with each opponent that they first take on?"

The others' eyes widened in astonishment after hearing Brock's theory.

"He's right," Tracey commented. "In the first match of Tauros and Donphan, both were exceptional when it came to strength and charging power."

"Both Magmar and Infernape were powerful Fire-types," Max added.

"They used flight and speed when it came to Unfezant battling Crobat," Dawn remembered.

"Leafeon and Ivysaur are both powerful Grass-types," Cilan continued.

"And Pikachu and Pichu are both Electric-types, their partners, and of the same evolutionary family!" Gary finished.

"So, does that mean that Ash and Gavin's last Pokémon are similar as well?" Walker inquired.

Brock nodded and replied, "Most likely. If that's the case, then this should be a hard battle for both sides."

"But who are they going to use?" Iris, Leaf, and Misty all asked in unison.

* * *

><p>Ash and Gavin then threw their Pokéballs into the air at the same time; both trainers threw in complete and perfect rhythm with each other.<p>

"Lucario, I choose you!" Ash shouted as the ball opened in mid-air.

"Gallade, come on out!" Gavin yelled as his ball did the same.

The two devices released a huge burst of blue light that quickly took on the silhouettes of their Pokémon of choice. As the light faded, the two creatures appeared, both letting out what seemed to be a type of battle cry.

* * *

><p>"Whoa," Walker said in awe. "Didn't see that coming!"<p>

"I don't know why, but this takes me back to Ash's triple battle with Drew," May said, reminiscing. "Back when Riolu first evolved into Lucario."

"Yeah," Dawn agreed. "And you know, it also reminds me of Gavin's one-on-one battle with Jeremiah when he used Gallade against Jeremiah's Bisharp."

"Who's Drew?" Leaf asked.

"And who's Jeremiah?" Walker inquired.

"Drew is one of May's coordinator rivals," Brock explained.

"And her arrogant, vain, and jealous stalker," Iris added. **('Leave it to Iris to tell the truth, no matter how hurtful.')**

"As for Jeremiah, he's a trainer that we've run into a lot since we started our Amaro journey," Gary said to Walker.

"He's a really creepy guy who wears a dark cloak, has a Murkrow on his shoulder, and has a strange love for puppets," Misty finished. **('Et tu, Misty?')**

"I don't think I like the sound of this Drew person," Leaf said after hearing the description of the snobbish, green-haired coordinator.

"I think I could get along pretty well with this Jeremiah guy," Walker said in response to the description of the dark, mysterious, and creepy cloaked trainer. "But I agree with Leaf about that Drew guy."

* * *

><p>Everyone looked to the screen and watched as pictures of the Aura Pokémon and the Blade Pokémon appeared in each of the two trainers' sixth slots. Whoever wins this battle will win the match and go on to the final round.<p>

"Lucario versus Gallade! Let the final battle begin!" The referee declared to the entire stadium.

"Lucario, use Dark Pulse!" Ash commanded.

Lucario grunted and then held out its paws in front of its body, firing a barrage of dark circles at its opponent.

"Gallade, block it with Night Slash!" Gavin instructed.

Gallade slashed at the attack with one of its blade-arms. The blade glowed a light purple as it blocked Lucario's attack. The two Dark-type attacks soon canceled each other out.

"Now, use Vacuum Wave!" Gavin ordered.

Gallade jumped up into the air and its forearms began to glow white. It then spun around with its head and its arms extended facing the opponent, releasing a horizontal tornado from its body at Lucario.

"Dodge it!" Ash directed.

With great athleticism, Lucario jumped into the air and dodged Gallade's attack with ease.

"Lucario, hit it with an Aura Sphere!" Ash called out.

A blue orb of energy formed in between the airborne Lucario's paws. It then fired the orb down at Gallade.

"Gallade, use Leaf Blade!" Gavin yelled. "Slice it in half!"

Gallade's forearms began to glow light green and they extended in the back to form its blades. It then swung its arms in a slashing motion, causing the Aura Sphere to be cut straight down the middle. The two halves went past both of Gallade's sides before exploding on the ground behind it.

Gallade gave Lucario a smirk, causing the Aura Pokémon to growl in response.

"Lucario, start with ExtremeSpeed and go into Metal Claw!" Ash shouted.

Lucario began to dash at Gallade at an incredible speed with a white and clear aura surrounding its body as it ran. As it reached its target, the spikes on top of its paws glowed silver and they grew, transforming into three claws. Then, before Gallade could react, Lucario slashed at its chest, sending it skidding back several feet.

Gallade clutched its chest from the pain while Lucario chuckled softly under its breath.

"Gallade, use Psycho Cut!" Gavin told his Pokémon.

Gallade nodded, and then, its forearms instantly lit up and extended, creating its light blue glowing blades. It then ran at Lucario and prepared to strike.

"Lucario, use Bone Rush!" Ash cried out.

Lucario quickly put its paws together and spread them apart, creating a light green bone of energy. It then used it to block Gallade's first strike. Suddenly though, the two were in an intense physical battle as they combatted against each other throughout the grassy field.

* * *

><p>"Whoa, this is intense!" Max said in awe as he watched the battle continue with every strike that the two Pokémon made.<p>

"It's like watching two knights fighting each other in a sword fight!" Walker exclaimed with excitement.

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of this sword-to-bone combat, the two Pokémon began to breathe heavily as they struggled to go on.<p>

'_We've gotta end this_,' Ash thought. From Gavin's facial expressions, he knew that his cousin was thinking the same thing.

"Lucario, use Blaze Kick!" Ash ordered.

Lucario ran up towards Gallade and sent a kick at its opponent with a foot that was lit up in a blaze of red-orange flames.

"Quick, duck!" Gavin instructed. "Then, use Signal Beam!"

Gallade ducked down out of the way of Lucario's kick and then fired a rainbow-colored beam from its chest at Lucario, who was sent sliding backwards towards Ash. It eventually stopped right in front of him.

"It's time to end this!" Ash declared. "Lucario, use Swords Dance!"

"Gallade, you do the same!" Gavin commanded.

The spikes on Lucario's chest and paws and Gallade's blades all began to glow a bright purple color. They did some quick movements and their Attack power increased tenfold.

"Now, Lucario, use an Aura-Bone Rush!" Ash yelled.

Lucario's body began to light up in an intense blue aura. Its eyes glowed also glowed a light blue color. It then created its bone weapon, but this time, it held the bone more like a sword, and the bone sword was a bluish-whitish color. It then began to run towards Gallade.

"Gallade, use an X-Scissor-Psycho Cut!" Gavin shouted.

Gallade's forearm-blades took on a fierce light blue glow. It then jumped towards its oncoming opponent, crossing its blades and causing a red "X" like energy to appear in front of it. A light red energy surrounded its body as it sped towards Lucario.

The two came up to each other in the middle of the field, and as they met mid-field, the two slashed at each other and caused a huge explosion.

A bright white light lit up the field just as a thick blast of black smog covered the entire stadium. Finally, after the smoke cleared, everyone could see both Pokémon standing mere feet from each other with their backs to one another. Both were panting heavily.

Then, just as it looked like the fight was going to continue, Gallade winced and fell to the ground.

"Gallade is unable to battle! Lucario is the winner! The victory goes to Ash!" The referee announced.

* * *

><p>The crowd exploded into a frenzy of cheers after such an epic battle among the two cousins. Ash and Gavin recalled their Pokémon and then walked up to each other.<p>

"Ash," Gavin began as they stood face-to-face, "That was an awesome battle. I couldn't have picked a better person to lose to."

"Yeah, but you didn't lose by much," Ash said while rubbing his hand on the back of his head. "If Gallade hadn't fainted, Lucario probably would of soon after."

Gavin then held out his hand and said, "I wish you luck. Whether you face Walker or Leaf, you're gonna need it."

"Thanks, coz," Ash said as he and his cousin gripped hands and shook. As they did, Pichu and Pikachu stood on the ground beside them, also shaking hands.

Now, that their battle is over, Ash will be moving on to the final round. But just who will he being facing? Will it be Walker or will it be Leaf? Find out soon!

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 38: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 9: Turning Over A New Leaf!"<span>_- Walker and Leaf are about to battle to see who will be facing Ash in the final round! But with both of them being such fierce competitors, just who exactly will win? Find out next time on Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**Well, there you have it. Ash is going on to the final round. But against who? We'll just have to wait and see! I hope that this chapter was worth the wait!**

**I'm sorry that these chapters are taking so long! With work, school, and other things taking up so much of my time, plus the length of these chapters, my writing has slowed. It also has to deal with the fact that I am distracted easily. But I am doing my best to get the chapters done! Once the tournament is over, it just might be easier to get them done faster.**

**Anyways, I'll see you guys next time! Read and Review!**


	38. Chapter 38

**Hey, guys! It's been a little bit, hasn't it? Sorry it took so long! You don't know how many cases of writer's block one person can get in a day. Anyways, on with the chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. That would be so awesome, but unfortunately, I don't have the pleasure. If I did, this would so be the next generation in the anime!**

_Chapter 38: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 9: Turning Over A New Leaf!"_

(Continued from end of last chapter…)

"Splendid, simply splendid!" Mr. Battrio's voice said through the speaker, causing the crowd to go quiet.

"Now that this battle is done with," Mr. Battrio continued, "we will stop for today in order for our other two semi-finalists to get ready for their battle tomorrow!

* * *

><p>It was a bright and sunny afternoon later that day as our heroes took a much-deserved break in the park.<p>

At first, it had taken a while for May and Dawn to reconcile with each other, but eventually, their anger at each other finally subsided. Everything seemed to go back to normal. Well, whatever you could actually call normal with these teens.

Anyways, after they had gotten out of the stadium earlier, the group decided to have a picnic in the park. Brock and Cilan made the food of course, but the others helped with all of the other preparations required. Everyone had even let all of their Pokémon Once everything, including the blankets, the food, and the tables, were all set, there was only one person missing: Walker.

"Can we please just go ahead and eat?" Max asked in a whiny voice.

"No, Max. We have to wait on Walker," May said firmly. It was at that point that her stomach growled and she whimpered, "Even if that food looks…so…good."

It was true. The picnic spread looked so delicious that it had just about everyone's mouths watering, especially the mouths of Ash and May. However, they were all determined to wait until Walker arrived before they began eating.

A few minutes later, Walker finally showed up, running frantically towards them. As he stopped in front of them, he bent over and panted heavily. Aipom, who had just barely holding onto its trainer's shoulder, jumped off and ran over towards the other Pokémon.

"Sorry,…huh…we're…huh…late," Walker huffed and puffed. "I had to…huh…get my team…huh…ready for my battle…huh…tomorrow."

"Oh, cool!" Leaf exclaimed. "So who are you using?"

Walker immediately stood back up as straight as a board, looking at the Kanto native with an incredulous look on his face.

"I'm not going to tell everybody what my team for tomorrow is, least of all, you!" Walker said with an angry tone in his voice. "That'd be like telling everybody that Gavin and I are…"

"Ready to eat!" Gavin said after speeding over towards his rival, covering his mouth before he could say more. "Yup, we're ready to eat! How about you guys?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," The others said with extremely confused expressions on their faces. They all then went towards the food and began to fill up their plates, leaving Gavin and Walker standing there, both looking relieved.

Gavin sighed and then said in a hushed tone, "Are you trying to get us both found out?"

"Sorry," Walker said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand. "I wasn't thinking about it when I was about to say it."

"Just be careful from now on!" Gavin told him. Walker nodded, and the two went to join their friends. What they didn't know was that someone had been watching them from the bushes.

* * *

><p>"And I thought that I wasn't good at keeping secrets. Well, I guess this ends this cameo, eh, Mimi?" A cloaked man within the bushes said to the bird on his shoulder.<p>

The bird nodded, and the two began to walk away before a random storm cloud appeared above them, shot them with a bolt of lightning, and sent the two of them flying.

"Was it something I said?" The man cried out as he and his bird disappeared into the horizon.

**(And that's what you get when you break the fourth wall in my story, bub! Serves you right!)**

* * *

><p>The next morning, after everyone piled into the stadium, the battle preparations went underway. Both Leaf and Walker stood on the field in the middle of the stadium waiting to hear who would release their first Pokémon first and what the first terrain would be.<p>

The referee pushed a button, and on the screen, two photos of the two battlers were shuffled until finally, only Leaf's picture could be seen.

"Trainer Leaf will reveal her Pokémon first," The referee ruled, "and now, for the first terrain!"

He pushed another button, and after a few seconds, an orange icon with a picture of a desert lit up.

"And it's the Sand Field!" The referee announced. He then pushed yet another button and the normal battlefield went into the ground. It was soon after replaced by a field made up of tannish-colored sand.

"Now, Leaf, please let out your first choice!" The referee called out to Leaf.

* * *

><p>Leaf looked into her bag, where six Pokéballs lay at the bottom of it. She grabbed one, enlarged it, and then threw it into the air.<p>

"It's time to shine, Ninetales!" She shouted as the ball opened up and let out a blinding blue flash of light.

After the light faded, the crowd saw the Fox Pokémon standing proudly on the field, its fur shimmering in its magnificence.

* * *

><p>Walker thought about it for a moment, and then, a devious grin appeared on his face.<p>

"Let's do this, Slick!" Walker yelled as he hurled a Pokéball at the field.

In a flash of light, the Johto native's Samurott appeared onto the field, letting out a mighty howl that caused Ninetales to feel a bit uneasy.

"Ninetales versus Samurott! Let the battle begin!" The referee declared to the entire stadium.

"Ninetales, use Fire Spin!" Leaf commanded.

Ninetales opened its mouth and released a stream of red-orange flame that began to curl up into a spiral as it came at Slick.

"Slick, disperse with Water Pulse!" Walker instructed.

Slick opened its mouth and a light blue orb of energy appeared in front of its mouth. It fired the orb at Ninetales's attack, and as the two attacks collided, the orb expanded and then exploded into a blast of steam.

"Ninetales, try Flamethrower!" Leaf ordered.

"Slick, intercept with Hydro Pump!" Walker directed.

The two Pokémon opened their mouths and each released a stream of intense flame and surging water respectively. The two attacks struck each other mid-field, creating a cloud of steam that cleared up within a few seconds.

'_So Fire-attacks won't work. Let's try something else!_' Leaf thought. "Ninetales, use Extrasensory!"

Ninetales's eyes began to glow a golden color and it then opened its mouth. From it, Ninetales fired a multicolored circular beam at Slick, causing its movements to slow down a bit.

"Now, go in with Faint Attack and hit it with an Iron Tail!" Leaf called out.

Ninetales began running quickly towards Slick until it disappeared and then reappeared beside it. At this point, it looked ready to pounce.

"Slick, block it with Razor Shell!" Walker told his Pokémon.

Slick quickly took out its blade, which began to glow a watery blue, just as Ninetales jumped up, did a flip in the air, and began to come down towards it with a tail of iron. The two attacks struck against each other with sparks flying as the two Pokémon struggled to hold against one another.

"Now, strike it with Megahorn!" Walker shouted.

With a quick sword movement, Slick broke the collision of their attacks and then, it struck Ninetales in the chest with a glowing silver horn. The Fire-type was sent flying across the field, skidding through the sand as it landed, creating a sand cloud in its wake.

* * *

><p>"This is not good," Ash said as he and the others anxiously watched the battle. "Leaf's at a disadvantage."<p>

"Is there anything that she can do?" May asked no one in particular.

"Yes," Gary answered. "And I think that she knows exactly what to do."

* * *

><p>'<em>That Samurott of his is strong<em>,' Leaf thought as she pondered a battle strategy. Suddenly though, an idea struck her. '_Although, maybe I can use the field to beat it._'

She then looked over at Ninetales and yelled, "Ninetales, use Sunny Day!"

Ninetales opened its mouth and fired an orange orb of light into the sky, causing the sunlight to brighten immensely. The air around the field began to shimmer with heat as it became like a real desert.

"That can't stop us!" Walker said with an unwavering smirk of overconfidence on his face. "Use Water Gun!"

Slick opened its mouth and fired a powerful stream of water at its opponent. Although, the water didn't look entirely as powerful as it usually did.

"Flamethrower!" Leaf pointed towards Slick's attack with a tone of authority.

Ninetales opened its mouth and released a stream of intense red-orange flame. This time, however, the flames looked even more powerful as they instantly evaporated Slick's attack, eventually hitting it square in the chest.

Slick staggered back from the surprisingly high amount of damage that the flames had caused, leaving Walker utterly speechless.

"You like?" Leaf asked coyly. A grin appeared on her face. "You must know that Sunny Day's effects increase the power of Fire-type attacks and decrease the power of Water-type attacks, right?"

"Wh-wh-wha-what?" Walker stuttered as he stared at her in shock. His eyes were wide with fear.

"It also lets me do this," Leaf said with a wink. "Use Solarbeam!"

Ninetales opened its mouth and immediately fired a blast of yellow solar energy at Slick. The Formidable Pokémon received another hit in the gut and was sent sliding backwards through the sand.

* * *

><p>"She did it!" Dawn exclaimed happily. "She's back in the game!"<p>

"Well, I wouldn't count Walker out yet," Gavin said with an emotionless look on his face. "Walker's been known to be able to get out of situations like this."

* * *

><p>Walker had his head down, looking at his feet. Leaf was confident that she could win this battle with just a few more moves. Suddenly though, she began to hear laughter coming from her opponent.<p>

He looked up at her with a smile on his face and said, "I'll admit, you surprised me with that Sunny Day; powering up your moves while weakening mine. However, the weather can have the opposite of this effect as well. Slick, show them your Rain Dance!"

"What?" Leaf squeaked in shock as the Water-type fired a light blue energy ball from its horn into the air. Black clouds began to form in the sky and then rain began to fall from them. As the rain hit the field, the sand began to turn into mud, making it hard for Ninetales to stand up.

"Now, I believe that I just increased the power of my Water-type moves and decreased that of your Fire-type moves," Walker commented with a sly grin. "Let's finish this. Slick, use Aqua Jet!"

Slick's body became surrounded by water and it rocketed into the air, heading straight for Ninetales.

"Dodge it, Ninetales!" Leaf cried out.

Ninetales attempted to run out of the way, but the mud prevented it from moving very fast. Then, it was struck full-on by Slick's watery charge.

"Follow it up with Razor Shell!" Walker instructed.

Ninetales flew backwards through the air after Slick struck it with its glowing blue blade.

"Now, finish it off with Hydro Cannon!" Walker yelled.

Slick opened its mouth and a glowing light blue ball of water appeared in front of it. Slick then fired it at the Fox Pokémon, who received a direct hit from it and was sent hurtling through the air until it landed at Leaf's feet.

Ninetales let out a groan as it lay there unconscious with swirls in its eyes.

"Ninetales is unable to battle! Samurott is the winner!" The referee announced.

* * *

><p>Ninetales's slot on the screen blacked out, meaning that Leaf had but five Pokémon left in her arsenal.<p>

Leaf sighed as she recalled Ninetales back into its Pokéball. She looked at the ball and smiled.

"You did well," Leaf said as she returned the ball to her bag. "Thank you."

Leaf then took another ball from the bag and held it up in front of her face as a mischievous grin appeared on her face.

"It's time to shine, Dusknoir!" She said as she tossed the ball into the air.

In a flash of light, the Gripper Pokémon appeared onto the field. Its body floated just inches above the mud that had once been sand, but had been soaked due to the continuous rainfall.

Everyone looked up and saw Dusknoir's image fill up the second out of Leaf's six slots on the big screen.

"Samurott versus Dusknoir! Begin!" The referee called out in a commanding tone.

"Slick, hit it with your Fury Cutter!" Walker ordered.

Slick jumped towards Dusknoir and brought out its blade, which was now glowing a deep crimson. As it neared its Ghost-type opponent, it prepared to slash.

"Dusknoir, use ThunderPunch!" Leaf instructed.

Dusknoir pulled back its arm and its fist suddenly became surrounded by yellow electricity. Then, just as Slick came at it, Dusknoir punched it in the chest, sending it flying.

Walker looked on in shock as Slick hit the ground with a thud. When the Water-type stood back up, Walker could see that its body was sparkling with yellow electricity.

"Slick, come on back!" Walker said as he held out Slick's Pokéball and recalled the Formidable Pokémon.

Walker put the ball back onto his belt, muttering, "I'll use you later, buddy."

He then took another ball from his belt and threw it into the air, yelling, "Let's do this, Watt!"

Instantly, Watt the Electivire appeared onto the field. Sparks flew from its body as it gave Dusknoir its creepy smile. At this point, the rain that had been falling ceased.

"Dusknoir versus Electivire! Begin!"

"Watt, let's start this up with Thunderbolt!" Walker called out.

Watt let out a mighty cry as it released two bolts of lightning from the horns on its head at its opponent.

"Dusknoir, block it with Will-O-Wisp!" Leaf commanded.

The yellow markings on Dusknoir's body glowed a bright yellow and it held out both of its hands. Two blue fireballs then appeared in front of them and Dusknoir fired them at Watt's attack. The two attacks collided and erupted in a small explosion of black smoke.

"Dusknoir, use Shadow Sneak!" Leaf shouted.

Dusknoir's shadow extended towards Watt, turning into a shadowy tentacle as it came close to it.

"Watt, use Agility to dodge!" Walker directed.

With amazing speed, Watt jumped and ran out of the way, dodging every one of the shadow tentacle's attempts to strike it.

"Good! Now use that speed to lead up into Iron Tail!" Walker yelled.

With blinding speed, Watt sprinted towards Dusknoir and then jumped into the air. It did a flip in the air and started to fall down in the Ghost-type's direction, its tails glowing a metallic glow as it came down through the air.

"Dusknoir, Trick Room, please!" Leaf said with a smile towards her Pokémon.

Dusknoir nodded and immediately obliged. Its eye glowed red and a large, light blue rectangle in the shape of a room covered the entire muddy field. Walker grimaced as he watched the room then fade away.

"Now, use Shadow Punch!" Leaf ordered.

Dusknoir held its arms out up towards where Watt was in the air. With unbelievable speed, it fired two shadowy fists at it. The fists hit Watt in an uppercut, sending it spinning back to where it came until it landed with a mix between a squish and a thud in the mud.

'_Okay, maybe it's time to get rid of this mud,_' Walker thought as he watched Watt struggled to get a firm footing. "Watt, use Flamethrower on the field!"

Watt jumped up into the air, opened its mouth, and then released a stream of intense flames at the field. This amazingly caused the mud to dry up and harden into a field of gravel.

"Now, show 'em your Discharge!" Walker commanded.

Watt then let out a blast of multiple bolts of light blue electricity at the Gripper Pokémon.

"Dusknoir, take in that power with ThunderPunch!" Leaf instructed.

Walker looked shocked as Dusknoir held out one of its arms, which was by now cloaked in electricity, and then let Watt's Discharge go into its fist. The Discharge seemed to give Dusknoir's ThunderPunch a power boost.

"Now, hit it!" Leaf ordered.

"NO!" Walker yelled in distress.

Dusknoir flew at Watt with great speed. It then struck the Electric-type with its electrically-charged fist and the electricity began to course throughout its body.

* * *

><p>"What's Leaf doing? She's just going to activate Electivire's Motor Drive ability!" Dawn said with disbelief.<p>

"And why's Walker looking so scared right now?" Iris asked.

Everyone seemed to look confused except for Gary, who then proceeded to explain the situation to all of them.

"You see, normally, this would increase Electivire's speed and give it a huge advantage over Dusknoir," Gary began. "However, with Dusknoir's Trick Room in play, this is actually going to slow it down a whole lot."

"You don't mean…," Tracey started to say before Gary nodded.

"It'll be like Electivire was in slow motion," Gary confirmed.

* * *

><p>"Watt!" Walker yelled as he saw his Pokémon's ability become activated.<p>

"Alright, let's finish this up," Leaf said to her Dusknoir. "Use Earthquake!"

"No! Watt, dodge it!" Walker called out in vain.

Watt began to try to jump into the air in order to dodge the super-effective attack, but as it started to move, it looked like it had the speed of Slowpoke walking on land. Dusknoir then struck the ground with a fist, and the earth began to tremble and shake, breaking up as it headed towards Watt. Watt was hit, and it fell to the ground after trying to keep its balance.

"Now, finish it off with a Shadow Ball!" Leaf yelled.

Dusknoir's mouth-like stomach opened up and fired a shadowy orb at Watt. As the attack hit its mark, an explosion occurred, clouding Watt from view in a dusty curtain of smoke.

As the dust cleared, Watt was seen to be lying on the ground. A dazed look was on its face and it had swirls in its eyes.

"Electivire is unable to battle! Dusknoir is the winner!" The referee announced to everyone.

* * *

><p>Just after he said this, the Trick Room disappeared completely. Leaf looked triumphant after avenging Ninetales.<p>

"Alright, Dusknoir, come on back! I'll use you later!" Leaf said to the Gripper Pokémon. Dusknoir nodded, and it then disappeared back into its Pokéball in a flash of red light.

As she did this, Walker did the same with Watt. Walker grimaced as he put the ball back onto his belt, but then, went back to his confident grin.

"I'm not gonna let one loss put me down! I'm still gonna win this!" Walker said, brimming with confidence. "And now, I'll show you! Let's do this, Bull!"

He then took out a Pokéball and threw it into the air. It opened up and released a burst of blinding blue light. As the light faded, Walker's Camerupt stood on the field and let out a mighty bellow, releasing smoke from the craters on its back as it did.

Leaf thought for a moment and then made her choice. She took out a ball, tossed it up into the air, and said with a smile, "It's time to shine, Fearow!"

In a flash of light, the Beak Pokémon appeared in the air and let out a fierce shriek. And as always, Ash and Pikachu both hid behind May, who was by now sweat dropping, along with the rest of the group.

* * *

><p>"It's not going to hurt you two! Quit acting like a couple of babies!" May yelled at her currently-hiding boyfriend.<p>

"You don't know that!" Ash retaliated with cowardice.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed with a nod as it hid its face into May's back. ("Yeah!")

Pichu looked over at its older brother from its position in Dawn's lap with a look of disdain and shame on its face.

"Pi-pi-chu-pi-chu-pi?" It asked its shivering brother. ("How are we even related?")

Suddenly though, Fearow let out another ear-splitting cry, causing the Tiny Electric Mouse Pokémon to tense up and become slightly unnerved. Then, it hid itself into Dawn's chest, much to her and Gavin's surprise.

"Chu-pi-pi-pi-chu," Pichu said, its voice muffled as it shook with fear. ("Maybe he's got the right idea.")

* * *

><p>"Fearow versus Camerupt! Let the battle begin!" The referee called out.<p>

"Bull, use Heat Wave!" Walker ordered.

Bull opened its mouth and a ball of orange fire was formed inside of it. It then released a wind of flames at its opponent from the ball.

"Fearow, dodge it, and then use Mirror Move!" Leaf instructed.

With quick aerial maneuvering, Fearow spun through the air out of the way, and then, a black portal outlined in white appeared in front of its body. From the portal, a wind of orange flames was shot out at Bull.

"Bull, brace yourself!" Walker told his Pokémon.

Bull stood strong against the fiery wind. It didn't look like the attack was very effective against it.

"Fearow, now use Razor Wind!" Leaf commanded.

Fearow began to rapidly flap its wings and multiple white crescent-shaped energy disks were shot out at the Eruption Pokémon.

"Bull, block it with Sandstorm!" Walker directed.

Bull blew air out of its nose, making dirt from the ground come up and turn into a sandstorm. The tornado of sand moved in front of it and broke apart after all of the energy disks had hit it.

"Now, hit it with AncientPower!" Walker yelled.

Bull's body glowed white and it created a silver energy ball in front of its body. It then fired the ball at the Beak Pokémon.

"Dodge it with Agility!" Leaf shouted. "Then, use Drill Peck!"

With great speed, Fearow dodged the silver energy ball with ease. It then began to fly down towards Bull. Its beak spun fast like a drill as it drew closer to its target.

"Bull, use Overheat!" Walker said with clear strain in his voice.

Bull opened its mouth and released a blast of white fire with a red-orange flame spiraling around it. Fearow began to drill through the flames, but if one looked closely, they could tell that its speed had slowed and the flames had begun to affect it.

After a few seconds, Fearow finally reached Bull, and an explosion occurred when after it struck the Fire/Ground-type with its attack.

As the smoke cleared, everyone saw that Fearow had flown back up into the air while Bull was now staring at it with great anger. Both were covered in bruises and burns, panting heavily as they prepared to finish their battle.

"Fearow, use Steel Wing!" Leaf ordered.

Fearow's wings gave off a silver-colored, metallic sheen as it flew at its large opponent.

"Bull, take it out with Rock Slide!" Walker called out.

Bull brought up one of its feet and then brought it down hard. The force of its stomp caused several large rocks to fly out of the ground and up towards Fearow.

"Dodge the rocks with Aerial Ace!" Leaf instructed.

Fearow's body became surrounded by white streaks as it avoided one boulder after another in its efforts to hit its target.

"Bull, get ready…," Walker began as he watched Fearow come closer and closer. Finally, as Fearow loomed several feet from his Pokémon, a smirk appeared on Walker's face as he yelled, "Now! Use Double Team!"

Bull's body suddenly flashed white and then, multiple copies of itself appeared all around the fierce Beak Pokémon. Fearow immediately ceased its attack and began to look warily at all of the Camerupt copies.

'_Which one is the real one?_' Leaf frantically thought. '_Well, only one way to find out…_'

"Fearow! Use Drill Run Full Circle!" She yelled out.

Fearow let out a mighty cry and it started to fly around in a circle. Suddenly, it flew towards one of the copies, its entire body now spinning rapidly like a drill. It began to fly through each one of the many copies until surprisingly, none were left.

"But…that's not possible," Leaf said in disbelief. Her eyes then widened and she looked towards the ground. "Unless…"

"You guessed it," Walker said with a sneer. "Bull, out of the ground and use Eruption!"

"No!" Leaf screamed in shock.

Fearow turned around quickly as Bull burst out of the ground behind it. Bull then shot a geyser of red-orange fire from the volcanoes on its back at it. Too startled to move, Fearow took the full force of the blast and was sent flying backwards to the ground. As it hit the ground, it was instantly knocked out.

"Fear…," Fearow moaned as it lay on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Fearow is unable to battle! Camerupt is the winner!" The referee said to the crowd.

* * *

><p>"Okay, I'm confused," Max said, scratching his head. "What just happened?"<p>

"Well, Walker had Camerupt use Double Team while also having the real one use Dig," Gavin began to explain. "Then, since Camerupt had the element of surprise, and Fearow had been tired out from destroying the copies, it only took an Eruption attack to take it out."

"Whoa," The others said in unison.

"I wonder who Leaf will use next?" Misty thought out loud.

* * *

><p>Leaf quickly recalled her NormalFlying-type back into its ball and put the ball back into her bag. She then pulled out another ball and threw it into the air.

"It's time to shine, Medicham!" She said as the ball opened up and caused the Meditate Pokémon to materialize onto the field.

She then noticed Walker smirk and pull out Bull's Pokéball. The Eruption Pokémon disappeared in a flash of red light and then, Walker took another ball from his belt.

"Let's do this, Maggie!" Walker shouted as he hurled the ball at the field.

In a surge of blue light, Walker's Magmortar appeared onto the field in front of him.

"Well, I guess we know what gender it is," Leaf muttered as she glared at Walker and his apparently female Magmortar.

"Medicham versus Magmortar! Begin!" The referee declared.

"Medicham, use Psyshock!" Leaf called out.

Medicham quickly jumped into the air and put its arms out in front of it. Next, three blobs of light blue, blue, and purple-colored psychic energy formed around it. Medicham then fired the blobs out at Maggie.

"Maggie, block it with Flamethrower!" Walker directed.

Maggie put its arms out in front of it and fired two red-orange streams of fire from its arm cannons at Medicham's attack. The two attacks collided in mid-air and erupted into an explosion of black smog.

"Maggie, now hit it with a ThunderPunch!" Walker commanded.

Maggie began to run towards Medicham, its fist now crackling with sparks of powerful yellow electricity.

"Stop it with Drain Punch!" Leaf instructed.

Medicham's fist became surrounded in a green energy with yellow streaks spiraling around it. Then, just as Maggie came close to it, the two shot their punches at each other, their fists impacting against one another. Sparks flew as each one of them struggled to hold their ground.

"Medicham, use Poison Jab!" Leaf ordered.

Medicham's free hand began to glow a poisonous-looking purple. It then jabbed Maggie in the stomach at high speed, breaking off both of their punching attacks and sending Maggie stumbling backwards several feet.

"Now, send it flying using a Hi Jump Kick!" Leaf shouted.

"Maggie, use Smog!" Walker yelled with haste.

Medicham leaped into the air and prepared to strike Maggie with its knee. However, Maggie then opened its mouth and released a thick, gray smoke from it, completely hiding it from sight as the smog covered the field.

Unfortunately for Medicham, its Hi Jump Kick attack missed and it soon after landed on its knee, causing it a great deal of pain just as the smog enveloped it.

"Medicham, don't breathe in the smoke!" Leaf told her Pokémon. "Just blow it away with Vacuum Wave!"

Medicham nodded and began to spin around rapidly, creating a white tornado around it. The smoke was sucked into the tornado, and Medicham then did a wave that sent the now-gray tornado flying at Maggie.

"Maggie, stop that tornado with a Rock Tomb wall!" Walker requested.

Maggie quickly stuck out its arms and fired multiple purple circles out from its arm cannons. As the purple circles struck the ground, they turned into large, gray stones that soon formed a wall of stone. As the tornado hit the wall, an eruption of power occurred, resulting in the dissipation of the tornado and the crumbling of the rock wall until it was simply a pile of dust.

"Alright, Maggie! It's time to end this!" Walker said to the Blast Pokémon while cupping his hands over his mouth. "Use Fire Blast and then follow it up with a Fire Punch!"

Maggie raised its arm and its hand quickly disappeared into its arm cannon. A ball of red-orange fire then appeared in front of the cannon and Maggie proceeded to fire it at the Meditate Pokémon. Only seconds later, it held its arm cannon up into the air, and a ball of fire appeared at the end of it. Maggie soon began charging towards its opponent, ready to punch.

Leaf looked startled for a moment. If she didn't act fast, Medicham was done for. Suddenly though, a spark of strategy and creativity lit up within her mind, and a winning smile appeared upon her face.

"Medicham, use Calm Mind, followed by Detect!" Leaf said to her Pokémon. "Wait for the ball to come to you!"

Medicham nodded and then sat down, crossing its legs as it got into a meditation stance. It closed its eyes and its body became outlined in a light blue glow. The ball loomed closer and closer and everyone believed that the Fire-type attack was bound to hit the Psychic/Fighting-type Pokémon.

"Wait for it…," Leaf murmured as the ball of fire neared her Pokémon, closely followed by their fiery foe. "Okay, now!"

Medicham immediately opened its eyes, which had started to glow a bright green color. It then jumped into the air, gracefully doing several flips as it went up into the air. The ball flew straight into the wall behind Leaf and let out a small explosion, releasing a blast of air.

Meanwhile, back on the ground, Maggie had run to where it was under the currently airborne Medicham, ready to strike it as it came down.

"There's nothing you can do now!" Walker said with an arrogant sneer. "Maggie's just going to hit Medicham when it comes down anyways! That dodge just delayed the inevitable!"

"Who says that I didn't plan for this?" Leaf said with a confident smile, causing Walker to look suddenly fearful. "Medicham, come down using Ice Punch with a spin!"

Medicham immediately stopped flipping and floated in the air for several seconds. It then began to hurtle down towards Maggie while spinning like a top. One of its fists took on a light blue glow, and the spinning caused the icy energy to emanate from the fist and surround Medicham in a light blue cyclone of pure artic power.

The two opposing punches of Fire and Ice collided, and the eruption of power in between them caused the two forces to break apart, sending them both flying backwards.

"Medicham, finish it off with Force Palm!" Leaf yelled.

Medicham did a backflip and then held its arm up towards its opponent, firing an enormous white blast from its palm.

The blast enveloped Maggie and sent it rocketing past Walker, resulting in a loud _thud _as the Fire-type met concrete. Walker immediately turned around and saw his Pokémon slumped against the wall with swirls in its eyes.

After Medicham landed back onto the ground, the referee raised one of his flags and pointed it at the Meditate Pokémon.

"Magmortar is unable to battle! Medicham is the winner!" He stated in an unwavering tone.

* * *

><p>As the referee finished making this statement, the slot that had held Magmortar's slot on the screen blacked out. Currently, both Leaf and Walker had used four Pokémon. Two of them were still able to battle, their slots containing faded gray silhouettes of themselves, while both of them had lost two Pokémon.<p>

Walker recalled his fallen Magmortar back into its ball and switched it out with another ball from his belt.

"Let's teach these guys a lesson, Bull!" Walker said as he threw it into the air.

In a flash of bright blue light, the Eruption Pokémon rematerialized onto the sandy field. It let out a bellow that reverberated throughout the stadium. It followed this with a snort that released streams of smoke from its nostrils and began to dig its hooves into the dusty terrain.

Leaf looked over at Medicham and said to it, "Do you want to continue battling, Medicham?"

The Pokémon in question met its trainer's eyes and nodded before getting into a fighting stance.

"If both trainers are ready, we will begin the next sub-match!" The referee said to the two trainers. "Medicham versus Camerupt! Let the battle begin!"

"Bull, use Iron Head!" Walker shouted.

Bull began to charge towards Medicham. Its body immediately became enveloped in a white aura that made its body look black and white.

"Medicham, use Bide!" Leaf instructed.

Medicham calmly got back down into its meditative stance and its body began to take on a white glow. Seconds later, Bull charged into it full on with all of its might. Despite the Bide attack holding it off, Medicham began to look strained as it struggled to hold it back.

"Let's hurry and knock it out before its Bide attack takes its full effect!" Walker told his Pokémon. "Use Eruption!"

Bull jumped back a couple of feet and then fired a geyser of red-orange fire and lava at its meditating opponent. The Bide caught the blast, but Medicham once again looked severally damaged by this attack. Suddenly, however, Medicham's whole body took on a fierce white glow.

"Alright!" Leaf said happily, ecstatically doing a fist-pump into the air. "Okay, Medicham! Fire!"

A large and powerful-looking beam of white light was immediately fired from Medicham's body, hitting Bull before it could even attempt to dodge. The Fire/Ground-type was blasted back across the field, ironically hitting the same spot in the wall behind Walker that Maggie had hit previously. This caused the large crater in the concrete to both widen and deepen in size.

Bull let out a groan as it lay against the wall. The force of the impact had instantly knocked it out, as one could tell from the spirals now in its eyes.

"Camerupt is unable to battle!" The referee announced. "Medicham is the winner!"

* * *

><p>Camerupt's image on the screen was blackened out seconds later, showing that Walker had lost his third Pokémon and now had only three left.<p>

"Way to go, Medicham!" Leaf said, proudly cheering for her Pokémon.

Medicham smiled, happy that it had won, but it suddenly winced and fell face-forward to the ground. As it landed with a thud, a small puff of dust was released into the air.

"Medicham is unable to battle!" The referee said with a bit of sadness in his voice as Medicham's slot was turned completely black.

Leaf had a sad smile on her face as she held up Medicham's Pokéball and returned it back into its ball with a beam of red light. Medicham's body immediately dematerialized as it was enveloped in the red light.

"Thank you," She said sadly. "Now take a good rest."

She dropped the ball back into her bag and then looked up the referee, who was now addressing the entire stadium in a loud voice.

* * *

><p>"Since both trainers have now lost three Pokémon, we will now randomly choose the next terrain in which they will be competing in!"<p>

He pushed a button, causing all of the terrain symbols to appear onto the screen. It began to cycle through them for about thirty seconds, finally stopping at a blue symbol that had a wave of water on it.

"The next terrain will be the water stage!" The referee declared.

The field of sand then went back down into the ground with a rumble, and a minute later, an enormous pool took its place. On the water were several floating platforms that were similar to the ones the group had seen back at the Cerulean City Gym.

* * *

><p>"So now they're all tied up again," Ash said as he and the others stared down at the field.<p>

"Yeah, but only one of the three that they each have left has seen battle," Tracey grimaced. "They both have two that haven't even been revealed yet."

"I'm just wondering who is going to win this," Dawn said with a pondering look on her face.

"You know what? I think that a further going-over of this spicy battle is in order!" Cilan said with a glimmering in his green eyes.

"Oh, no," Ash said, looking immediately fearful.

"Please don't," Iris incurred. A look of sheer terror was now on her face; her brown eyes were wide with horror.

"Anything but that, please anything but that!" Meowth said, mock crying.

"Pika-pika-pika-chu!" Pikachu yelled, looking completely serious as it pointed at the Unovan Pokémon Connoisseur. ("Somebody stop him!")

Cilan stood up onto his seat, and with a girlish twirl, he spread his hands out into the air and struck a pose, saying, "IT'S…EVALUATION TIME!"

One of his Pokéballs opened up and Simisage appeared beside him. The Thorn Monkey Pokémon took on a pose that was similar to its trainer's.

Ash face-palmed himself while Iris looked at the ground with a groan. Pikachu and Meowth meanwhile were wishing that they had the ability to stand being in their Pokéballs so they didn't have to hear Cilan's impending "speech of doom." The others could only look at them with definite confusion on their faces.

"Walker has a definite strong taste in his battling. He raises his team with a spicy passion with a zesty center," Cilan began, accentuating his words with finger gestures as he spoke. "However, Leaf provides a perfectly sweet battle strategy with invigorating zing throughout it. There's just no telling who will end this battle with the perfect dish."

The others just looked at him awkwardly in silence, slightly shifting away from him. They all then turned their attention back onto the battle at hand.

* * *

><p>"Let's do this, Tut!" Walker shouted as he threw a Pokéball into the air.<p>

In a flash of light, a Cofagrigus similar to the one that the group had seen James of Team Rocket use appeared onto one of the platforms. It had a menacing grin on its face and it eyes had a sinister red glow in them.

"It's time to shine, Magneton!" Leaf said as she tossed a ball towards the field.

Instantly, the Electric/Steel-type Pokémon appeared in the air, carefully floating above the pool below it.

"Magneton versus Cofagrigus! Begin!" The referee stated.

"Tut, use Shadow Ball! Rapid-Fire!" Walker ordered.

Tut put its four shadowy hands together and began to fire multiple shadowy orbs from in between them at its opponent.

"Send them back with Gyro Ball!" Leaf instructed.

Light blue orbs appeared at the ends of each of Magneton's magnets. It then began to spin its body rapidly, causing the Shadow Balls to be sent flying back towards its origin.

"Dodge them with Double Team!" Walker yelled.

Tut floated up into the air and then it instantly created multiple copies of itself. The shadowy orbs soon hit all of the other copies, leaving only the real Coffin Pokémon.

"Magneton, hit it with Thunderbolt!" Leaf told her Pokémon.

Magneton's magnets glowed yellow and a powerful bolt of yellow electricity was released from them at its opponent.

"Tut, use Hidden Power!" Walker directed.

Tut's body became outlined in a light green light and it put its hands together out in front of it. It then fired several green-yellow orbs of energy that successfully blocked Magneton's Thunderbolt and created a small explosion in mid-air.

"Magneton, charge at it with Spark!" Leaf commanded.

Magneton began flying towards Tut and its body became surrounded by light blue electricity as it charged at its opponent.

"Tut, slow it down with Round!" Walker declared.

Tut opened its mouth and released a high-pitched note from it. Red, green, and blue sound waves came out as it screeched. The sound caused Magneton to stop several feet away from it as the sound waves harmed it.

"Now hit it with your Hyper Beam!" Walker shouted.

"Magneton, use Protect!" Leaf said hastily.

As Tut fired a powerful beam of pink energy surrounded by white energy at the Steel/Electric-type, Magneton's body became surrounded by a bluish-green force field that completely blocked Tut's powerful attack.

"Great! Now Tut can't move! Hurry and use Magnet Bomb!" Leaf yelled.

Magneton put its magnets together and a silvery, magnetic orb formed in between them. Magneton then fired the orb at Tut, who took the full force of the attack as it exploded upon impact.

"Follow it up with Discharge!" Leaf said enthusiastically.

Magneton proceeded to release multiple light blue beams of electricity from its body at the Ghost-type. Tut groaned as it was electrocuted by Magneton's electrical powers.

"Now, let's finish it off with Zap Cannon!" Leaf ordered.

Magneton immediately fired a yellow orb of electricity with a red center from in between its magnets at Tut. Tut was caught in the chest and was sent flying backwards towards the water. A huge splash occurred as it landed in the pool.

"Cofa-a-a-a-a," Tut gurgled as it floated through the water with swirls in its eyes.

"We did it, Magneton!" Leaf said with a grin.

"Mag-ne-ton!" The Magnet Pokémon buzzed happily. What the two didn't notice was that Walker had a sinister grin on his face.

"Use Destiny Bond," Walker said, chuckling in an evil-sounding tone.

The waterlogged Tut's body became outlined in purple. Two swirling purple lights came out of its eyes and floated towards Magneton. The swirls went into it and it became surrounded by a purple aura.

"Ton!" Magneton screeched as it was shocked by the purple aura. As the aura faded, Magneton fell onto one of the platforms and hit it with a thud.

"Neither Pokémon is able to battle!" The referee announced to the crowd.

* * *

><p>Leaf and Walker immediately both returned their Pokémon back to their Pokéballs and then each brought out another ball. They threw them into the air, and in a flash of light, Slick and Dusknoir appeared onto the floating platforms.<p>

Leaf was glaring angrily at Walker. She hadn't expected such a dirty trick from him. Well, maybe a little. But still, she and Dusknoir both knew that it was now time to avenge Magneton.

"Dusknoir versus Samurott! Begin!" She suddenly heard the referee say.

"Dusknoir, use Shadow Punch!" Leaf shouted, pointing at their Water-type opponent.

Dusknoir's hands became surrounded by a dark aura and it reached its arms out in front of it. Two fists in the shape of Dusknoir's own fists fired out. A gray trail seemed to connect the shadowy fists with Dusknoir's arms.

"Slick, into the water!" Walker instructed.

The Formidable Pokémon swiftly jumped into the pool just in time to dodge Dusknoir's attack. At this point, the gray fists of Dusknoir's Shadow Punch attack went back to their place of origin and merged back into Dusknoir's arms.

"Now, Slick, use Megahorn!" Walker directed.

Slick suddenly burst out of the pool and struck Dusknoir with its horn that was currently radiating with silver energy. As quick as it came out of the water, Slick immediately dived back in within seconds.

"Dusknoir, watch for it!" Leaf told her Pokémon.

The Gripper Pokémon nodded and began to look around the pool for its opponent's location. It was a challenging task as Slick blended in with the water so very well and Dusknoir was unable to swim.

"Use Razor Shell!" Walker called out.

Slick jumped out of the water behind its opponent, and with a watery blue glowing blade, struck the Ghost-type in the back, causing it to be knocked over to another platform. The Unovan Water starter then submerged itself once again.

"Dusknoir, try a Shadow Ball into the water!" Leaf ordered.

Dusknoir opened the mouth on its stomach and put its hands together in front of its body. The yellow lines on its body and its iris began to glow gold. Then, a black-and-purple ball of shadowy energy appeared in between its hands and in front of its stomach. Dusknoir then fired the orb down at the water, causing a geyser of water to be blasted up into the air due to the explosion that the orb caused.

"Slick, use Aqua Jet!" Walker yelled confidently.

Surrounded by water, Slick rocketed out of the water and tackled Dusknoir straight in the gut, sending it flying back towards Leaf. Luckily for the Gripper Pokémon, it managed to land on another one of the platforms.

'_Ugh, this isn't getting anywhere_,' Leaf thought with a grimace on her face. '_Samurott's in its element, and there's no way to beat a Water-type in the water!_'

Suddenly though, Leaf's eyes widened and a smirk appeared on her face.

"Unless…," Leaf said craftily. She then looked over and Dusknoir and shouted, "Dusknoir, use ThunderPunch, but punch at the surface of the water!"

"What?" Walker said, now a bit fearful. "Slick, stop it!"

Dusknoir floated over the water and pulled its arm back into a fist that began to crackle with yellow electricity. Slick swam as fast as it could and attempted to stop it, but Dusknoir managed to punch the surface of the water with its fist that was cloaked in yellow electricity.

The water lit up in a bright light as an electric current surged through it. Due to the fact that water conducts electricity (I should hope that you all knew that), Slick was immediately bombarded with yellow electricity.

Electrocuted and knocked unconscious, Slick's body floated to the surface of the water. With swirls in its eyes, it let out a dazed groan.

"Samurott is unable to battle! Dusknoir is the winner!" The referee proclaimed to the audience.

* * *

><p>While Walker recalled the dazed Slick back into its ball, the Pokémon in question's image on the screen blackened out. The screen indicated that while Leaf still had two Pokémon left, Walker only had one left.<p>

Surprisingly though, Walker seemed to have a sneer on his face as he put Slick's ball back onto his belt.

* * *

><p>"So who do you think that Walker is going to use?" May thought out loud.<p>

Immediately, the entire group turned to Gavin, who awkwardly stared back.

"Why are you all looking at me?" He asked. "He may be my rival, but I don't know everything about him."

"True, but since this is his last Pokémon that hasn't even seen battle yet, it's got to be something powerful," Brock said intuitively.

"And most likely, his most powerful ones would be the ones that he caught on his first journey through Johto," Tracey added.

"And if I'm not mistaken, that's when you two battled the most," Gary smirked.

"So, Gavin, who do you think it'll be?" Dawn inquired with a seductive look on her face.

Gavin turned red and began to sweat drop as she and the others leaned in towards him with creepy smiles on their faces. Finally, after Gavin sighed, they backed off so that he could tell them his thoughts.

"I agree with you guys that it has to be one of his first Pokémon, but I'm not completely sure what it could be," Gavin said with a pondering look on his face. "I know that he sent his Aipom back to Professor Elm for the day, so it can't be that. And with that sneer on his face, I can only assume that it's perfect for this terrain."

"Huh?" Ash said with a confused look on his face. "How can you get that from a sneer?"

"It's Walker's 'tell,'" Gavin simply replied. "Walker was never good at keeping a straight face, so I always knew whether I had a good chance of winning or if I had to be care…ful."

All of the sudden, however, before Gavin could continue, something caught his eye. Gavin pulled down his sunglasses over his eyes, and with a quick movement that the others didn't notice, he activated the special computer that was embedded within them. They automatically zoomed in on Walker, and Gavin's expression turned to one of astonishment and fear.

Walker had reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of black fingerless gloves with a symbol of a flaming skull on each of them.

"Oh, no," Gavin muttered in complete and utter horror. "It can't be. He's not gonna actually use that one is he?"

"Gavin, what's wrong?" Misty asked. Gavin shook his head, pulled his sunglasses back onto his head, and looked up at them.

"Huh?" Gavin said with a confused expression.

"Is everything all right?" Cilan questioned.

"You look kind of nervous," Iris commented.

"Scared, even," Meowth said with a nod of agreement.

"Pika," Pikachu added with questioning eyes.

"Plup," Piplup said from its place at Dawn's feet.

Gavin looked down at Pichu, who was still in Dawn's lap. The Tiny Electric Mouse Pokémon had the same exact expression on its face as that of its trainer's.

Gavin let out a breath and said, "Let's just say that I think I know who Walker's going to use. And if it's who I think it is, Leaf's in deep trouble."

* * *

><p>Walker pulled on the gloves and then proceeded to take a Pokéball from his belt.<p>

"This has been a great battle, Leaf," He said sincerely. Then, his smile immediately turned into a smirk. "But now, it's all over."

He threw the Pokéball into the air and yelled, "Let's do this, Gyra!"

In a burst of blue light, a large, blue, dragon-like sea serpent appeared in the water. It fangs looked amazingly sharp and powerful, and its red eyes literally radiated with power. This Pokémon looked larger, fiercer, and more powerful than any others of its kind that the group had ever seen before. It let out a mighty roar that echoed throughout not only the entire stadium, but the entire town as well.

* * *

><p>The group all looked at Gavin with looks of utter shock and horror.<p>

"HE HAS A GYARADOS?" They all practically yelled at him.

Gavin sighed and replied, "Yes. That Gyarados was the first Pokémon that Walker caught. You see, back at Sprout Tower…"

* * *

><p>(Flashback- Five years ago; Third Floor, Sprout Tower, Violet City)<p>

_"Pichu, finish it off with Thundershock!" Gavin shouted._

_ "Pi-chuuuuuuu!" Pichu cried out as it launched a bolt of yellow electricity at its Hoothoot opponent. _

_ The Owl Pok__é__mon was instantly electrocuted and fell to the ground. Its body was charred, and it gave off dark gray smoke that smelled of burnt electricity. _

_ "Hoothoot is unable to battle! Pichu is the winner! The victory goes to the challenger!" The monk that was acting as referee said, stating his ruling._

_ "Yes! We did it!" Gavin cheered. He ran up to Pichu and the two of them high-fived each other. _

_ It had taken a while, but the two of them were finally starting to trust each other; even if it had taken a swarm of Beedrill to do it. _

_ They suddenly heard a grunt behind them and they looked up to see the elder that they had just defeated, Elder Li. _

_ "Ah, excellent!" The robed and balding elder said while stroking his long, white beard. "The way you battle is quite elegant. You seem different than the other four trainers that battled here recently, especially the angry trainer with red hair."_

_ Gavin grimaced. They had lately been trying to track down that particular trainer for quite some time. After he first received Pichu, he had run into the red-headed trainer that he now knew as Silver. It turned out that Silver had been the one to have stolen the Totodile from Professor Elm. Due to him and Pichu not working together as a team at the time, Silver had defeated them quite easily. Now, Gavin and Pichu had made it their mission to beat Silver and get back the Totodile that he had stolen in order to return it to the Professor._

_ He was broken out of his thoughts when he noticed Li looking down at him with a confused expression on his face._

_ "You don't seem to be from around here," He said wisely. "Tell me, what region were you originally from?"_

_ "I moved here from Kanto three years ago, but I started my journey in New Bark Town," Gavin explained._

_ "Ah, that's it," The elder smiled. "Well, regardless where you are from, you should be more than able to stand up to Falkner. I hope you learn and grow from your journey."_

_ The two of them gave each other a bow, and then, Gavin made his way out of the tower. However, as he stepped out, he saw a familiar looking boy with an Aipom on his shoulder waiting for him._

_ "Hey, Gavin," Walker said with a wave. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"_

_ Gavin nodded and walked over to his rival. They began talking about what had happened to each of them since they had last seen each other and battled for the first time. _

_ "So," Walker said hopefully. "Have you battled Falkner yet?"_

_ Gavin shook his head and replied, "I figured that I should train my team first before I took him on."_

_ "How many Pok__é__mon have you caught?" Walker asked._

_ "Two, besides Pichu," Gavin answered. _

_ Walker smiled, suddenly looking eager, and said, "Hey, let's battle! I've gotta repay you for beating me back in Cherrygrove City!"_

_ "Alright, but first I've gotta take them to the Center to get them healed," Gavin said, gesturing towards the building ahead. _

_ Walker crossed his arms and pouted. Finally, he grunted, "Fine. But hurry up."_

* * *

><p><em> An hour later, Gavin came back to find Walker waiting for him impatiently. <em>

_ "It's about time!" He said with a look of exasperation. "Let's battle!"_

* * *

><p><em> After a couple of sub-matches, both trainers were down to one Pok<em>_é__mon each. Gavin's Zubat had been knocked out by Walker's Elekid, who was later knocked out by Gavin's Phanpy. Walker's Aipom had managed to beat Phanpy, but then Pichu returned the favor with a powerful Thundershock. _

_ Now, Gavin and Pichu were waiting to see Walker's last Pok__é__mon._

_ "It's time to win this!" Walker said with a confident grin. "Let's do this, Magikarp!" _

_ He threw a Pok__é__ball into the air, and in a flash of light, a reddish-orange fish-like creature appeared on the ground and began flopping around. It had large scales, white fins, two stiff, three-peaked fins on its back and stomach that were both yellow, and two, long barbels. _

_ "Magi-karp-magi-karp!" The fish said as it flopped on the grass in front of them. _

_ Gavin and Pichu had to try with all of their might to try not to laugh. However, Walker heard them chuckling._

_ "Hey!" Walker said with an angry look on his face. "What are you guys laughing at?"_

_ At this, Gavin and Pichu burst out laughing. They couldn't hold it in any longer._

_ "Hey! Stop laughing and answer the question!" Walker said, getting angrier and angrier. "What's so funny?"_

_ "It's just…it's just…," Gavin attempted to answer before he went back to laughing. _

_ "Pii-hi-hi-hi-hi!" The Electric-type giggled on the ground beside him, now practically rolling on the ground._

_ "WHAT IS SO FUNNY?" Walker yelled, his face a dark shade of red in his anger._

_ Gavin finally calmed down enough to take out his Pok__é__dex and show Walker._

_ "_Magikarp, the Fish Pokémon. An underpowered, pathetic Pokémon. It may jump high on rare occasions, but never more than seven feet._"_

_ Walker looked confused as he said, "Uh, dude? I think your Pok__é__dex is wrong. Magikarp is awesome!"_

_ "Walker," Gavin said with a sigh, "when I lived in Kanto, I used to hang out at Professor Oak's lab all of the time. He always told us that compared to all of the other Pok__é__mon, Magikarp was the weakest Pok__é__mon of all time."_

_ "I don't know what you're talking about," Walker said with his arms crossed. "My Magikarp here is really powerful."_

_ "We'll see," Gavin said, rolling his eyes. _

_ "Yeah, you will!" Walker said obnoxiously. "Magikarp, use Splash!"_

_ Magikarp simply flailed and flopped about on the bright green grass. This caused Gavin and Pichu to sweat drop._

_Gavin looked down at Pichu and said, "Pichu, hit it with a light Thundershock."_

_ Pichu nodded and then released the equivalent of a spark of yellow electricity at the Fish Pok__é__mon. Magikarp instantly lit up in a bright electrical light and a tiny explosion occurred. Magikarp was now laying on the ground with swirls in its eyes and a dazed look on its face. _

_ Walker looked utterly shocked and then yelled out, "Magikarp! Are you okay?"_

_ He scooped up the red fish into his arms and ran off, shouting back, "I swear it Gavin! One day, you will come to fear the power of my Magikarp!"_

_ As he disappeared from sight, Gavin and Pichu were both sweat dropping._

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>"Well, he was half right," Gavin said, reminiscing. "Later, when we met up again at the Lake of Rage, he almost managed to defeat all of my team with his newly-evolved Gyarados. If hadn't been for Pichu learning Iron Tail in mid-battle, he would've completely wiped us out."<p>

"Whoa," The others said in unison. They all stared back down at the field, looking warily at Walker's last Pokémon.

"Dusknoir versus Gyarados! Let the battle begin!" The referee shouted.

"Dusknoir, use ThunderPunch!" Leaf commanded.

Dusknoir flew at Gyra and punched it with its powerful fist of thunder. An explosion occurred, causing smoke to cover the field.

"Yes! That had to do some damage!" Leaf said, completely psyched.

However, as the smoke cleared, she looked astonished when she saw Gyra still "standing" strong. It didn't look like ThunderPunch had even touched it.

Walker laughed and said, "That's not going to do anything to Gyra! I've raised it to be able to withstand even the strongest of electric attacks!"

He then looked at Dusknoir and said, "Time to show you a real attack. Gyra, use Hydro Pump!"

Gyra opened its large mouth and fired an extremely large and powerful burst of water at the Gripper Pokémon. Dusknoir was completely engulfed by the attack, and after Gyra ceased its blast, Leaf saw her Pokémon lying on the platform. It had been instantly knocked out by the attack.

"Dusknoir is unable to battle! Gyarados is the winner!" The referee said, hesitantly pointing one of his flags at the behemoth.

* * *

><p>Gyra roared loudly in its victory, and continued to thrash about with battle lust. Walker then yelled out to it to calm down, and the Atrocious Pokémon immediately obeyed its trainer's command.<p>

Leaf looked anxious as she ran to the field, jumping from platform to platform until she reached her Pokémon.

"Dusknoir, are you okay?" She asked with a concerned tone.

Dusknoir, who was just barely able to lift its head, looked up at its trainer and nodded. Then, its head fell back to the platform and it went back into unconsciousness.

Leaf sighed with a sad smile on her face as she held out the Ghost-type's Pokéball and said, "Dusknoir, return."

Dusknoir instantly disappeared back into the ball in a flash of red light. Leaf hopped back to her place off the water field and opened her bag.

"Take a good rest," She said, kissing the ball before putting it into the bag. She took her last ball into her hand and stood back up, glaring defiantly at the monster that took up a large amount of the pool.

* * *

><p>"What power!" Dawn said with a stunned look on her face.<p>

"How could anybody beat that?" Max exclaimed.

The others were all at a loss to answer this question. Meanwhile, Gary stared down at the field with an emotionless face.

'_Come on, Leaf,_' He thought anxiously. '_I know that you can beat this thing._ _I know it._'

* * *

><p>Leaf held the Pokéball that she was currently holding up in front of her face and said, "It's all up to you now. Let's win this thing."<p>

With a burning passion within her brown eyes, Leaf threw the ball into the air and shouted, "It's time to shine, Dragonair!"

In a burst of blue light, the dark blue Dragon Pokémon appeared in the water. It stared up at its monstrous opponent with a look of calmness and peacefulness.

"This is the final battle!" The referee said to the two semi-finalists. "The winner of this sub-match will win the match and go on to the finals. Dragonair versus Gyarados! Let the final battle begin!"

"Gyra, let's get this over with! Use Aqua Tail!" Walker ordered.

A large stream of water began to spiral around Gyra's tail. Gyra then swung its tail down at Dragonair.

"Dragonair, dodge it and then use Dragon Pulse!" Leaf instructed.

With amazing speed and aquatic maneuverability, Dragonair dodged Gyra's attack just in time and then fired a turquoise ball of energy at its opponent. As the ball hit Gyra, it exploded and the Atrocious Pokémon roared in pain.

"Gyra, get it back with Flamethrower!" Walker yelled.

Gyra opened its mouth and released a thick stream of intense flame down at its opponent.

"Dive underwater!" Leaf told her Pokémon.

Dragonair immediately dove down to the bottom of the pool, just barely avoiding the blast of flame. Gyra's Fire-type attack was so strong that it covered the entire stadium in a thick layer of steam.

"Dragonair, let's clear up this fog with Twister!" Leaf called out.

A bright blue glow emanated throughout the fog, and suddenly, a tornado of water appeared. Not only did it clear the fog, but from Gyra's snarling, one could tell that it had caused it a bit of damage as well.

"Gyra, knock out of the water with Thrash!" Walker directed.

Gyra began to thrash and flail about in the entire pool, causing the water to churn like a sea in a deadly storm.

"Dragonair, get out of there!" Leaf shouted, sounding very worried.

Dragonair did as its trainer commanded and quickly made its way out of the water and into the air.

"Heh, just where I wanted it," Walker said mischievously. "Gyra, send it flying with Dragon Tail!"

Gyra's tail took on a fierce light blue glow, and the Water/Flying-type immediately brought it up and struck Dragonair with it. The Dragon-type was sending flying up into the air.

"Dragonair!" Leaf cried out.

"Gyra, catch it with Bite!" Walker instructed.

As the Dragon Pokémon came back down, Gyra rose up and caught it with its mouth, biting down hard onto it. Dragonair began to squeal with pain.

"Follow it up with Ice Fang!" Walker added with a smirk.

Gyra's fangs lit up in a light blue light as icy power surged through them. Dragonair now screamed as the intense pain of its weakness emanated throughout its body.

* * *

><p>"Oh, no," Misty said, looking scared for the screaming Dragon-type Pokémon.<p>

"Leaf's gotta get Dragonair out of there fast or it's done for!" Cilan said with a serious look on his face.

"Hey, has anybody seen Gary?" Ash suddenly asked.

Everyone looked around their seats. The brunette had just up and disappeared! Where did he go?

* * *

><p>Leaf looked pained as she watched the large and monstrous Gyarados continue to bite down upon her Dragonair with its powerful, icy fangs.<p>

'_What can I do?_' Leaf thought. Tears began to fill her eyes as she heard Dragonair scream. '_There's nothing I can do! Dragonair's done for and the battle's as good as lost! I failed…_'

"Hey, Leaf!" She suddenly heard a familiar voice yell.

She looked up and saw Gary standing behind the wall to the side of the battlefield. He cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "This is no time to give up! I know that you can win this! I believe in you! I always have! So now, you've got to believe in yourself and Dragonair too!"

Leaf's cheeks went a bright shade of pink after hearing her childhood friend say this to her. A smile appeared on her face as she wiped the tears out of her eyes.

"He's right!" Leaf said to herself. "I can't give up! I can win this as long as Dragonair and I become united as one!"

She then looked up at her Pokémon and shouted, "Dragonair, I believe in you! You can win this! I know!"

Dragonair let out a loud cry, and suddenly, its body began to glow in a bright, light blue light with several rings of light spiraling around it. It began to change shape. It grew shorter in length, but larger in width. Limbs began to sprout out of it and a more definite head began to take form.

Gyra was frightened by the light, and the form pushed its way out of the monster's mouth before flying up into the air.

As the light faded, a new Pokémon had taken Dragonair's place. It was a large, orange dragon with small, green-colored wings, yellow antennae, and a cream-colored underbelly. The new dragon gave out a mighty roar that even caused Gyra to flinch.

* * *

><p>"Whoa," Max said in awe.<p>

"Dragonair…," Ash began.

"Evolved into…," May continued.

"Dragonite!" Brock finished with an exclamation.

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu said with wonder.

"Wowie! What a dragon!" Meowth interjected.

* * *

><p>A stunned Leaf slowly brought out her Pokédex and scanned her new Pokémon.<p>

"_Dragonite, the Dragon Pok__é__mon. The evolved form of Dragonair. This extremely rare and highly intelligent Pok__é__mon is able to fly faster than any other known Pok__é__mon._"

The Pokédex provided Leaf with a list of Dragonite's moves, causing a wide grin to make its way onto Leaf's face.

"Alright, Dragonite!" Leaf said enthusiastically. "Let's show them your new moves! Use Steel Wing!"

Dragonite's wings took on a metallic glow as it flew at Gyra and struck it at an unbelievable speed. Gyra cried out in pain.

"Follow it up with Thunder!" Leaf commanded.

Dragonite charged up electricity into its antennae and then fired a bolt of yellow electricity from them at Gyra. Gyra screamed at the surprisingly intense damage that the Electric-type attack was causing it.

"But…but," Walker stammered in shock.

"Funny, I thought you said that Gyarados had a great resistance to Electric-type attacks," Leaf said with a smile.

Walker growled and then yelled, "Gyra, use Hyper Beam!"

"Use Hyper Beam as well!" Leaf ordered.

Both Pokémon fired a powerful blast of pink energy surrounded by white energy at each other. The two blasts collided and erupted into a huge explosion.

"Alright, Dragonite, let's finish this up!" Leaf said to her Pokémon. The Dragon/Flying-type nodded in agreement.

"But it just used a Hyper Beam!" Walker said in disbelief. "It can't be able to attack yet!"

"Sorry to disappoint," Leaf said with a wink. "Finish it off with Dragon Rush!"

Dragonite's body became surrounded in a light blue orb with white streaks. It then flew at Gyra with its supersonic speed and slammed into its chest with full force. Gyra was knocked down into the water with a huge splash.

After everyone was able to see the battlefield, they saw Gyra's head floating above water. It had been completely knocked out and it had swirls in its eyes.

"Gyarados is unable to battle!" The referee announced. "Dragonite is the winner! The victory goes to Leaf!"

* * *

><p>The crowd broke out into a roar of cheers while Walker recalled Gyra back into its ball.<p>

Dragonite flew down to Leaf, and trainer and Pokémon embraced each other happily.

"Thanks a bunch, Dragonite!" Leaf said with a smile. "You were amazing!"

Dragonite roared in approval for this comment. The two continued to embrace until Walker walked up to them.

"Hey, Leaf. Thanks for the awesome battle," Walker said sheepishly. "I guess the better trainer won."

Leaf nodded, but suddenly, they all heard Mr. Battrio clear his throat over the intercom.

* * *

><p>"Well, it looks like we have our two finalists, Ash Ketchum and Leaf Green!" He said to the crowd.<p>

The crowd resumed their cheering for several seconds until they heard him clear his throat again.

"However, before we have our final battle, we will have a Bronze Battle between our other two semi-finalists, Gavin and Walker!"

Everyone in the crowd gasped before going back to cheering wildly. Meanwhile, the group looked at Gavin and Walker who were now staring intensely at each other.

Who will win this battle of rivals for the title of third place? You'll have to wait and find out!

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 39: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 10: A Bronze Battle of Gold and Silver Trainers!"<span>_- Before the final battle between Ash and Leaf, there is to be a Bronze Battle between Gavin and Walker! But who will win this battle of rivals? Tune in to find out!

**Well, I hope you guys liked it! Now that we know our finalists, one can only wonder just who will win this tournament! Read and Review!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Hey, readers! A bit faster than last time! I hope ya like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 39: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 10: A Bronze Battle of Gold and Silver Trainers!"_

Last time on "Pokémon: League of Ultimates," Walker and Leaf battled it out in the final match of the semi-finals.

Things started out in Walker's favor after he easily defeated Leaf's Ninetales with his Samurott named "Slick." But Leaf turned things around when her Dusknoir's super-effective ThunderPunch forced Walker to recall Slick. Dusknoir then managed to defeat his Electivire, "Watt."

Next, Walker and Leaf sent out Camerupt and Fearow. Fearow started out strong, but in the end, "Bull" took the win. The two trainers then began a battle between "Maggie" the Magmortar and Medicham. Medicham defeated the Blast Pokémon, and then went on to defeat Bull before it fainted from exhaustion.

Then, "Tut" the Cofagrigus and Magneton took each other on. Magneton knocked out Tut, but by using Tut's Destiny Bond, Walker managed to knock Magneton out as well. Soon after, Slick and Dusknoir were brought back to the field once again, resulting in Slick's defeat at Dusknoir's hand.

At this point, Walker sent out his sixth Pokémon, which turned out to be a large and monstrous Gyarados named "Gyra" that Walker had caught when it was a Magikarp. Gavin told the others a bit more about this Pokémon's past, and then the group watched as Gyra knocked out Dusknoir in one shot.

It was now up to Leaf's Dragonair to beat the Atrocious Pokémon However, Gyra looked like it was about to win when it had Dragonair in an Ice Fang. Leaf believed that all hope was lost until she was given some choice words of encouragement from Gary. A renewed confidence emanated within her, causing her Dragonair to evolve into Dragonite and defeat Gyra.

Now that the two finalists, Ash and Leaf, have been decided, it is now time for the Bronze Battle between our other two semi-finalists, Gavin and Walker, to determine who comes in third place.

Who will win this battle of rivals? Find out now on "Pokémon: League of Ultimates!"

* * *

><p>It was a surprisingly cold morning as Gavin sat in the forest clearing located just behind the Kafue Town Pokémon Center.<p>

The brown-haired trainer sat in his usual morning meditation stance with his partner Pichu beside him. The Tiny Electric Mouse Pokémon was imitating its trainer to the best of its abilities.

Several yards away, a girl with dark blue hair and eyes and a small, penguin-like creature began to tiptoe towards them. They both had identical smiles of a mischievous nature as they crept closer and closer.

However, when they were only a few feet away, they suddenly heard Gavin say, "Dawn, I know it's you. You know that you can't sneak up on me."

Dawn immediately looked shocked. She then crossed her arms and pouted before saying, "You're no fun."

Gavin opened his eyes and laughed while Dawn turned her back on him and continued to pout. He then got up, walked up behind her, and whispered into her ear, "Come on, Dawn. You're not mad."

"Hmm," Dawn huffed. Gavin shook his head and then gave her a peck on the cheek that caused her to first blush slightly, followed by a smile and a giggle before the two made lip contact.

"So, who're you using against Walker?" Dawn asked nonchalantly.

"Ah, that's a secret," Gavin replied with a smile. "You'll have to wait and find out."

"Once again, you're no fun," Dawn said, mock pouting and puffing her cheeks out.

Gavin just simply laughed, and eventually, Dawn did as well. Pichu and Piplup both grinned at each other knowingly.

* * *

><p>Later, everyone was back in the stadium, ready to see who would take third place in the Kafue Town Battle Tournament. While the others had gone up into the stands, sitting right behind the railing, Gavin and Walker both stood on opposite ends of the field, ready to battle. On the ground beside each of them was their partner Pokémon. Pichu and Aipom growled at each other competitively.<p>

The referee pushed several buttons in order to determine who would send out their Pokémon first and what kind of terrain the two of them would battle on first.

Soon, the screen began to shuffle through pictures of the two rivals, and eventually, it stopped on Walker's picture.

"The trainer Walker will be the first to reveal his Pokémon! Now, for the terrain!" The referee announced to the crowd.

Next, the screen started to cycle randomly through the different battlefields until it landed on a symbol that was steel-gray and had a picture of two black wrenches crossed like an "X."

"The two trainers will be battling on the Mecha Field!" The referee stated.

Suddenly, the regular field went into the ground and was soon replaced by a field that had a floor of steel and several metal pillars throughout the field.

"Walker, please send out your first choice!" The referee called out to the Johto native.

* * *

><p>Walker did not even hesitate as he took a Pokéball from his belt and threw it into the air. As the ball opened up in the air, Walker yelled, "Let's do this, Mr. McFuzz!"<p>

In a flash of light, a tall, bipedal bear-like creature appeared onto the field. Its body was covered in brown fur, except for its black-nosed muzzle, the insides of its ears, the paw pads on its feet, and the ring on its chest, all of which were a light tan color. It had sharp claws on both its hands and feet, and it had a small, ball-like tail.

Walker's Pokémon let out a fierce roar and began to flex its muscles. It was as if it was displaying its power to everyone in the stadium.

* * *

><p>Max took out his Pokédex and scanned the large Pokémon that was on the steel field in front of Walker.<p>

"_Ursaring, the Hibernator Pok__é__mon. The evolved form of Teddiursa. Although it is an excellent tree climber, it prefers to snap trees with its forelegs and eat the fallen fruit. It leaves scratch marks on trees with delicious berries or fruits in its territory._"

* * *

><p>Gavin stared at the Ursaring on the field with a sense of remembrance. Mr. McFuzz had been one of Walker's first Pokémon, so it had to be very powerful by now.<p>

Gavin smiled, grabbed a Pokéball from his belt, and then hurled it at the field, shouting, "Lickilicky, come on out!"

After bursting from the ball in a flash of blue light, the Licking Pokémon landed onto the field with a thud. Lickilicky immediately glared at its opponent with an intense dislike.

"Lickilicky versus Ursaring! Let the battle begin!" The referee declared.

"Mr. McFuzz, use Hammer Arm!" Walker hollered.

Mr. McFuzz took a few steps down the field and then leapt up into the air. Several _clangs_ were heard with each step it took down the metallic ground. As it began to come down towards Lickilicky, one of its forearms began to glow white.

"Lickilicky, intercept with Power Whip!" Gavin instructed.

Lickilicky extended its now glowing-purple tongue at Mr. McFuzz in a whipping motion against the bear's arm and then slammed it into the metal floor.

"Mr. McFuzz, use Bulk Up!" Walker told his Pokémon.

Mr. McFuzz let out a mighty roar as it stood back up onto its feet and began to flex its arms. Its body became surrounded by a crimson aura.

"Now, follow it up with Focus Blast!" Walker continued.

Mr. McFuzz put its hands together and created a light blue ball of energy in between them. It then fired it at Lickilicky.

"Knock Off!" Gavin directed.

Lickilicky struck its tongue against the light blue orb, sending it flying past Mr. McFuzz and into the wall behind Walker. As it did this, Lickilicky's tongue was surrounded by black sparks.

"Alright, Lickilicky, let's show it your Gyro Ball!" Gavin commanded.

Lickilicky began to spin at a high speed towards the brown bear-like Pokémon.

"Mr. McFuzz, hit it with Slash!" Walker ordered.

Mr. McFuzz's claws glowed white as it slashed at Lickilicky. Lickilicky did not receive the full damage due to its spinning, but it was dealt enough to be knocked back towards the ground.

"Now, Mr. McFuzz! Use Night Slash!" Walker shouted.

Mr. McFuzz raised its arm up and its claws began glowing a deadly-looking crimson. It then brought its arm down at Lickilicky in a slashing motion.

"Lickilicky, use Rock Slide!" Gavin called out.

Lickilicky's body became outlined in a white glow. Then, there was a white flash, and from out of nowhere, multiple large, gray rocks began to fall from sky. Mr. McFuzz looked freaked out when it stopped its attack to look up at the rocks heading straight for it.

"Hurry and use Brick Break!" Walker urged the Hibernator Pokémon.

Mr. McFuzz's forearms both glowed a bright white as it began thrusting several punches at the oncoming rocks. Each stone was shattered into a million pieces with every punch it threw, leaving only a cloud of dust in its wake.

While everyone in the crowd was in awe of the bear's strength, Walker looked over at Gavin and sneered.

"Did you really think that a Rock Slide was gonna do anything to my Ursaring?" Walker taunted.

"No, but it was worth a shot," Gavin said with a sheepish grin. Suddenly though, it changed into a smirk.

"Kind of like this!" He yelled. "Use Slam!"

Lickilicky immediately jumped back up onto its feet and grabbed Mr. McFuzz with its tongue. It lifted it opponent up into the air before slamming it into the ground.

"Mr. McFuzz! Hit it with Close Combat!" Walker cried out.

"Lickilicky, use Me First!" Gavin pointed towards the Ursaring with a grin on his face.

Before Mr. McFuzz could take a single step, Lickilicky jumped towards it and began striking it repeatedly with punches, kicks, and even its tongue. Mr. McFuzz looked like it was taking a serious amount of damage until Lickilicky hit it so hard that it was sent skidding backwards towards its trainer, eventually coming to a complete stop several feet in front of him.

Walker looked at his Pokémon and could tell that it had taken a whole lot of damage. He now had to figure out a way to make a comeback. His eyes widened as his brain hatched an idea.

"Mr. McFuzz, use Rest!" Walker proclaimed.

Mr. McFuzz nodded, and seconds later, it closed its eyes and fell asleep, still standing up. As it did, its body lit up in a green healing aura.

Gavin gritted his teeth. Ursaring was now healing itself, and if they didn't do something fast, it would get all of its energy back.

"Lickilicky, use Focus Punch!" Gavin shouted.

The Licking Pokémon made a fist that immediately began to glow a bright light blue color. It began running towards Mr. McFuzz and prepared to strike.

"Mr. McFuzz, use Sleep Talk!" Walker yelled.

As Lickilicky threw a punch at Mr. McFuzz, the Hibernator Pokémon surprisingly dodged the attack in its sleeping state. Its claws then glowed a bright white and it slashed Lickilicky with them. The large, pink blob stumbled back from the power of the attack.

"Lickilicky, try licking it awake!" Gavin suggested.

Lickilicky nodded and then extended its long tongue towards Mr. McFuzz, giving it a good lick across the face. The good news was that it woke the Ursaring up instantly. The bear looked both grossed and freaked out. The bad news, however, was that the attack both paralyzed the foe and made it cranky.

"Ah, great," Gavin said as he face-palmed himself. "I knew that I forgot something."

"Thanks for activating Mr. McFuzz's Guts ability, buddy!" Walker said with a sneer.

Mr. McFuzz's eyes took on an evil-looking red glow and its body was surrounded by a crimson aura. Gavin knew that this was due to its Guts ability raising its attack power.

"Now, Mr. McFuzz, hit it a Focus Blast!" Walker commanded.

Mr. McFuzz charged up a light blue orb of energy that was larger than previously and then fired it at its opponent. The attack struck a shocked Lickilicky before it could do anything. The attack exploded upon impact, sending it flying backwards several feet.

"Follow it up with Hammer Arm!" Walker continued.

As Lickilicky struggled to get up, it looked up to see Mr. McFuzz come down upon it and strike it with a glowing white forearm. Lickilicky howled in pain.

"Okay, let's finish it off with a Hyper Beam!" Walker said, pointing at the pink blob.

Mr. McFuzz opened its mouth and fired a powerful pink beam of energy surrounded by white energy at Lickilicky. The attack sent it flying back until its body hit one of the steel pillars. As the smoke cleared, Lickilicky could be seen slumped up against the pillar, knocked out cold.

"Lickilicky is unable to battle!" The referee announced before pointing one of his flags at Mr. McFuzz. "Ursaring is the winner!"

* * *

><p>As the crowd clapped for Walker and Mr. McFuzz, Max had an annoyed look on his face.<p>

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again," Max said as he stared at the Ursaring on the field below. "WHY DOES EVERY URSARING KNOW HYPER BEAM?"

"I don't know," May replied, completely embarrassed by her brother. "Why don't you search it on your PokéNav?"

"Alright," Max said as he pulled out the device and began looking it up.

"Well, did you find anything?" Ash asked.

"No," Max answered. He now looked really frustrated. "All I could find was me asking the question back in Chapter 13."

"HUH?" The others said, completely confused by the bespectacled boy.

**(You're lucky I'm proud of that accomplishment, Max! Next time you break the fourth wall, I won't be so lenient!)**

* * *

><p>Gavin sighed as he held out Lickilicky's Pokéball and pointed it at the Licking Pokémon.<p>

"Lickilicky, return," Gavin said as the device shot a red beam of light out at the Pokémon that engulfed it in red light. Instantly, Lickilicky dematerialized and disappeared back into the ball.

Gavin looked at the ball and his frown turned into a sad smile as he muttered, "You did great, Lickilicky. Take a good rest."

He then put the ball back onto his belt and replaced it with a second Pokéball.

"Shedinja, come on out!" He called out as he threw the ball into the air.

A burst of light was released from the ball as it opened up, and as the light faded, the Shed Pokémon appeared in the air. Walker suddenly looked a bit uneasy at the sight of the Bug/Ghost-type.

* * *

><p>"Hey, I just realized something," Brock said as he and the others watched Shedinja appear onto the field. "If Gavin has a Shedinja, shouldn't he have a Ninjask as well?"<p>

The others were dumbfounded. They had never even thought about that. How did Gavin have a Shedinja, but not a Ninjask?

* * *

><p>"Ugh," Walker said, looking slightly creeped out as he attempted to avoid the floating shell's 'gaze.' "You still have that guy?"<p>

"Yeah," Gavin said with a smirk on his face. "You're not still scared from that time when your Nincada evolved, are you?"

"No!" Walker snapped back. "And I was not that scared!"

Gavin raised an eyebrow and had a look on his face that said, "Oh, really?" as they went into flashback mode.

* * *

><p>(Flashback; Four years ago, Fallarbor Town, Hoenn Region)<p>

_The sun was shining as two young trainers prepared to battle. On one side was an eleven-year-old boy with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a white short-sleeved hoodie with a black half-Pokéball on the chest and gray sleeves, black jeans, and black-and-red sneakers. On his head, he wore a pair of black goggles, and on his shoulder was a small Pichu._

"_Vibrava, come on out!" Gavin shouted as he threw a Pokéball into the air. _

_ In a flash of light, a yellow dragonfly-like creature appeared in the air. It had bulging green eyes with black pupils, two yellow antennae, a skinny yellow body, four skinny black legs with slender black feet, green rhombus-shaped wings, and a tail with two small green rhombuses on the end of it. _

_ Across the field, Gavin's rival stared intently at his Vibrava. Walker wore a blue hoodie with sleeves that were slightly too long, gray pants, and black tennis shoes. Sitting on the Johto native's head was his signature green beanie with the white decal. Holding onto his shoulder was his trusty Aipom._

_ "You ready, Nina?" Walker asked the Pokémon on the ground in front of him._

_ It was a small, whitish insect-like creature with white hind legs and brown forelegs. It had small, green wings on its back, a small pointed snout, and whisker-like antennae on its face. There was also a thin stripe that dipped into a "V"-shaped pattern between its black eyes with green iris-like rings inside._

_ "Cada!" The Nincada nodded enthusiastically. _

_ Gavin smirked. He was doing this, of course, to help Walker evolve his Nincada into a Ninjask. _

_ "Alright, let's begin," Gavin said with a smile. "Vibrava, start off with Screech!" _

_ Vibrava shook its wings and they became surrounded in a white aura, sending purple shockwaves from its wings at its opponent._

_ "Nina, Harden!" Walker called out. _

_ Nina's body flashed white and then shone brightly, like it was now covered in a clear protective coating. It stood up against Vibrava's attack, barely feeling the sonic waves._

_ "Follow it up with Dig!" Walker directed._

_ Nina dug into the ground with its claws and disappeared from sight seconds later._

_ "Vibrava, get ready to use DragonBreath when it comes up," Gavin told the Vibration Pokémon._

_ Vibrava nodded and began to look around the ashy field, searching for its foe. Suddenly, right below it, Nina burst out of the ground and began heading straight for it._

_ "Nina, spin and then hit it with Metal Claw!" Walker ordered._

_ Just as Vibrava fired a yellow-green beam of air down at it, Nina began to spin around rapidly while its claws started to glow a metallic gray. As Vibrava finished its attack, Nina came up and slashed at it. _

_ The attack only dazed Vibrava for a second, but it then shook its head and prepared to fight some more. Meanwhile, after Nina landed back onto the ground, its body began to shine in a bright white light. It looked as if its skin was cracking up like a shell, and a new form burst out of it. _

_ As the glowing of the new form faded, Walker and Gavin saw a yellow-colored bug now flying in the air. It had some accents of black and gray on its body. There was a solid band of black between its gleaming red eyes that pooled into a circular pattern on its forehead between the pointed crests on both sides of its head. The underside of its head was gray as well as its insectoid arms that extended from its chest and the legs that it held close to its body. Most of its carapace was black, and the same went for most of its abdomen except for the yellow band near its tip. Its back was yellow with a black "Y"-like symbol, and it now had large, veined wings with triangular red tipping._

_ "Yes!" Walker cheered with Aipom. "Nina evolved into a Ninjask!"_

_ "Glad we could help," Gavin said as he, Pichu, and Vibrava watched Walker and his two Pokémon dance around._

_ Suddenly though, a bright glow began to emanate from Ninjask's discarded shell, causing Walker and his Pokémon to immediately stop their cheering._

_ The shell lifted off the ground and began to change its form. Eventually as the light faded, they saw a brown exoskeleton-like creature that looked very similar to Ninjask, except that it had slit-like eyes, a pair of tattered "wings" on its back, and there was a white halo floating over its head. _

_ "Shed-inja," It said in a muffled, high-pitched voice._

_ "Whoa, cool! It's a Shedinja!" Gavin exclaimed. _

_ "A what?" Walker whimpered, looking very unnerved at the sight of the new Pokémon._

_ "It's kind of like an additional evolution for Nincada," Gavin explained. "Basically, you now have two new Pokémon!" _

_ Shedinja then floated over towards Walker, who attempted to back away as the Shed Pokémon got into his face. _

_ "Shed!" Shedinja said happily. _

_ "AHHHHHH! Keep that creepy thing away from me!" Walker screamed before he ran away with Aipom hanging onto his shoulder and Ninjask flying after him. Within seconds, they were gone. _

_ "Shed," Shedinja looked down at the ground sadly as if it felt unwanted. It then slowly began to float off towards the ashy terrain outside of Fallarbor Town._

_ "Hey, wait!" Gavin yelled to Shedinja. Shedinja turned around and though its face was expressionless, one could tell that it was confused._

_ "You know, Walker may not like you, but I think you're cool!" Gavin smiled, giving it a thumbs-up. _

_ "Shed?" Shedinja asked hopefully. _

_ "Yeah! Hey, why don't you come along with us?" Gavin asked._

_ Shedinja looked at the boy, next at a smiling Pichu, and then towards a grinning Vibrava. _

_ "Shed-inja!" It then exclaimed, happily nodding._

_ Gavin then pulled out a Pokéball and tapped it on Shedinja's forehead. The ball opened up, and Shedinja was engulfed in a red flash. After disappearing into the device, the ball shook several times in the palm of Gavin's hand before it let out a _click _and sparks flew from it._

_"I just caught a Shedinja!" Gavin said, holding out the ball proudly._

_ "Pi-pi-chu!" Pichu cheered._

_ "Vib-rava!" Vibrava echoed. _

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>"Well, whatever!" Walker said angrily. "Let's just get this over with, Mr. McFuzz!"<p>

The Hibernator Pokémon in question growled in agreement.

"Shedinja versus Ursaring! Begin!" The referee shouted.

"Mr. McFuzz, let's end this quick with Metal Claw!" Walker blurted out.

Mr. McFuzz's claws took on a metallic glow as it stomped over towards its opponent. Then, just as it slashed at its opponent, an invisible shield blocked the attack, putting the bear off balance and sending falling face-first to the ground.

"What? But how?" Walker stuttered as he saw Ursaring lying on the ground with Shedinja floating above it gleefully. There wasn't even a scratch on it.

"Well, if you hadn't run away that day, I would have told you about Shedinja's Wonder Guard ability," Gavin said with a grin. "It can only be hit by super-effective moves. Now, it's our turn. Shedinja, use Fury Cutter!"

As Mr. McFuzz stood back up, Shedinja flew towards it, its arms glowing crimson, and then slashed it in the chest. The force of the attack sent Mr. McFuzz stumbling back several feet.

"Follow it up with Gust!" Gavin ordered.

Shedinja spun around rapidly and created a tornado that went straight towards Mr. McFuzz, sending it skidding back across the field.

"Now, let's finish it off with Hyper Beam!" Gavin yelled.

The halo floating over Shedinja's head began to take on a white glow. It then pointed upward and fired a pink-and-white beam at its opponent. Mr. McFuzz was hit in the chest and was knocked backwards to the wall behind Walker. As it hit concrete, it was knocked out cold.

"Ursaring is unable to battle! Shedinja is the winner!" The referee declared.

* * *

><p>Walker quickly recalled his Ursaring and put its ball back onto his belt. A smile appeared on his face as he held a new Pokéball in his hand.<p>

"Alright, let's see how you do against this new one," Walker smirked. "Let's do this, Match!"

He threw the ball into the air, and in a flash of blue light, a large, red, squat ape-like Pokémon appeared on the field out in front of him.

"Dar-man-i-tan!" It yelled as it pounded its chest with its large fists.

"A Darmanitan?" Gavin said, shocked. "You caught a Darmanitan?"

Walker nodded and then replied, "Yeah, and it's pretty strong, so watch out!"

"Shedinja versus Darmanitan! Begin!" The referee could be heard saying to the side of the field.

"Match, let's knock it out in a hurry! Use Incinerate!" Walker commanded.

Match opened its mouth and released a jet-stream of white flames at its opponent.

"Block it with Shadow Ball!" Gavin instructed.

Shedinja formed a black-and-purple-colored shadowy orb in front of its body and then fired it at Match's attack. The two attacks collided and exploded on contact.

Walker growled and then said, "Match, keep going after it with Fire Punch!"

Match began to bound over towards Shedinja, its fists beginning to light up in flames as it got closer and closer.

"Double Team!" Gavin ordered.

Shedinja's body flashed white before it created a multitude of copies of itself. All of the copies surrounded Match, stopping it in its tracks.

"Just punch them all out!" Walker hollered.

Match jumped up into the air and punching copy after copy with its fiery fists until they all strangely disappeared.

"Wait, what?" Walker gasped, in utter disbelief.

"Come on, Walker, you used this same kind of technique just yesterday," Gavin teased. "Shadow Sneak, Shedinja!"

Shedinja suddenly burst out of Match's shadow and struck Match in a flying, shadowy tackle. While the Darmanitan fell backwards to the ground, Shedinja flew around happily.

"Match, use Flamethrower!" Walker roared.

Before Shedinja could go anywhere, Match released a stream of red-orange flame at it, consuming it instantly. As the flames cleared away, Shedinja was shown to be covered in burn marks. It coughed out a puff of smoke before it fell to the ground.

"Shedinja!" Gavin said, fear apparent in his voice.

"Shedinja is unable to battle! Darmanitan is the winner!" The referee pointed his flag at the Blazing Pokémon.

* * *

><p>"Oh, no," Dawn said with deep worry. She covered her gasp with her hand.<p>

"I can't believe that Gavin's losing," Ash said, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Walker can't be that good, can he?"

"I think that Gavin's a bit nervous," Gary commented.

"Nervous?" Misty repeated. "Nervous about what?"

"Well, from what he's told us, he hasn't faced Walker in a really long time," Gary began as the others listened intently. "Plus, I think watching Walker battle with such strong Pokémon made him doubt himself."

"So what can we do?" Cilan inquired.

"We need to find a way to boost his confidence," Gary answered. "Then, he might be able to battle hard again."

"But how do we do that?" May asked.

Gary shrugged. He had absolutely no idea. They all then began to think hard, even the Pokémon. Suddenly though, Dawn's eyes lit up as an idea entered her head.

"I've got it!" She exclaimed. The others looked at her questioningly. Dawn then leaned over and whispered her plan to the other girls. They all squealed with excitement.

"So what's the idea?" Tracey attempted to ask. However, the girls ignored him completely. They all stood up and started to run up the stairs with Piplup following them. Although, May surprisingly came back and grabbed Pikachu from Ash's shoulder.

"You don't mind if I borrow him, do you?" She asked sweetly.

"Well, I…," Ash stammered before May pecked him on the cheek. She then ran off after the other girls, yelling back, "Thanks!"

"What just happened?" Max thought out loud with a confused look on his face.

"I'll never understand women," Brock said as he and the other guys returned their sights to the battle at hand.

* * *

><p>Gavin grimaced as he returned Shedinja back into its Pokéball. As he put the ball back on his belt, he murmured, "You did a great job, Shedinja. Take a good rest."<p>

He glared over at Walker, who was currently showing off to crowd. His rival gloated as much as he could. Gavin then frowned.

'_Why am I having so much trouble against him?_' Gavin thought. '_Why is he so much harder to battle against than anyone else that I've battled?_'

Unable to answer his own queries, Gavin then took another ball from his belt and threw it into the air, yelling, "Empoleon, come on out!"

Instantaneously, the Emperor Pokémon appeared onto the field and immediately began to glare at its Fire-type opponent.

"Empoleon versus Darmanitan! Begin!" The referee shouted to the competitors.

"Empoleon, use Aqua Jet!" Gavin told his Pokémon.

Empoleon's body became surrounded by water and it then shot off like a rocket towards Match.

"Match, dodge it and then hit it with Hammer Arm!" Walker suggested.

Match sidestepped Empoleon's watery tackle and then jumped above it. Its arm glowed white as it struck Empoleon in the back, sending it hurtling towards the ground.

Empoleon struggled to get up, glaring daggers at Match as it looked up at its triumphant-looking opponent.

"Empoleon, try a Water Pulse!" Gavin commanded.

Empoleon stood back up onto its feet, and after it opened its beak, a light blue orb of water energy appeared in front of it. It then fired it at the Blazing Pokémon.

"Take out the orb with Overheat!" Walker ordered.

Match opened its mouth and released a stream of white fire with red-orange flame spiraling around it. The blast struck the orb and the attacks instantly exploded into a cloud of steam.

"Follow it up with Brick Break!" Walker proceeded.

Match jumped at a shocked Empoleon and struck it in the chest with an arm that was surrounded by white sparks. Empoleon stumbled back several steps.

"Empoleon, hurry and use Hydro Pump!" Gavin pled.

Empoleon opened its mouth and released a jet of water from its beak at its opponent.

"Match, dodge it with Flare Blitz!" Walker instructed.

Match's body became surrounded in light blue flames and it then shot like a missile up into the air, dodging Empoleon's attack completely. Then, after doing a flip in the air, it landed back onto the ground, still grinning madly.

"Alright, let's finish this up with Superpower!" Walker shouted.

Match pounded its chest and let out a fierce cry while its body became surrounded by a crimson aura. It went over to one of the metal pillars and ripped it out of the field. It then lifted it up into the air, holding it high above its head.

"DAR-MAN-I-TAN!" Match bellowed as it showed off its massive strength.

* * *

><p>"Whoa," Ash said in disbelief. He and the other guys watched in fear as Darmanitan stood ready to throw the steel pillar at Gavin's Empoleon.<p>

"When are the girls going to come through with that plan of theirs?" Max thought out loud.

"Right now!" They all heard a voice beside them say. They all turned and looked towards the source of the voice, and when they did, their eyes widened and their mouths hung wide open in surprise.

* * *

><p>'<em>Ugh, what do I do? What do I do?<em>' Gavin thought frantically as Walker's Darmanitan prepared to throw the pillar at Empoleon.

Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice call out, "Ready, okay!"

Gavin looked to the side of the field and was completely shocked at what he saw.

In the stands, he saw Dawn, May, Leaf, Misty, and Iris standing together, all wearing pink cheerleading outfits with white and blue zigzags on the front of their shirts. They even all held pink pom-poms! Beside them were Pikachu, Piplup, Glaceon, Azurill, Buneary, Pachirisu, Jigglypuff, and Emolga, who were all holding pom-poms as well, except for Pikachu. Pikachu was wearing a kimono and held a fan in each hand.

They all then began chanting, "Come on, Gavin, go for it! Fight! Fight! Fight! Empoleon, Empoleon, do it right!"

"Pika! Pika! Pika!" Pikachu said as he danced and waved his fans.

Gavin was completely shocked as he said to himself, "So now I have cheerleaders?"

Across the field, Walker was also in disbelief towards the current situation. He then yelled, "Match, go ahead and throw it!"

Match put in all of its strength into the throw as the pillar was launched at Empoleon.

Gavin quickly turned back to the battlefield and called out, "Empoleon, slice it apart with Metal Claw!"

"Em-poleon!" The Emperor Pokémon said as the rims of its wings took on a metallic glow and it slashed one of its wings at the pillar as it came close to it. Amazingly, the pillar was sliced cleanly in half, and the two halves of the pillar broke apart, falling to the ground.

The crowd was in awe at this amazing feat. Empoleon had been losing for a while, but suddenly, it was like it had just found a new power inside of it.

Walker's mouth hung open at the sight of the two halves of the steel pillar that now laid on the ground at Empoleon's feet. He then looked up at Gavin, who was now smiling.

"Well, I guess this battle is back on," Gavin said, a new passion burning in his brown eyes. He then slid his sunglasses over his eyes and a white light flashed across them. "A battle that I intend to win. Empoleon, let's make our comeback with a Flash Cannon!"

Empoleon opened its beak and fired an intense silver beam of energy at its opponent, who by now looked a bit wary of the Water/Steel-type.

"Dodge it quick!" Walker urged his Pokémon.

Match attempted to jump out of the way, but the beam caught it in the stomach, sending it flying backwards a few yards before it managed to grab onto one of the pillars. Match wheezed as it struggled to catch its breath.

"Follow it up with Drill Peck!" Gavin continued.

Empoleon's crown and beak began to glow white and it then jumped at Match, spinning rapidly like a drill. The attack made its mark, and Match was sent even further back.

"Now, let's finish it off with Hydro Cannon!" Gavin shouted, pointing at Walker's Fire-typed Pokémon.

Empoleon opened its beak and a blue flash of light appeared in front of it. A glowing light blue ball of water then appeared in front of its beak where the flash occurred. Empoleon fired the ball at its opponent, who took the hit directly and was sent crashing into the wall.

Walker uneasily turned around to see that Match had been knocked out cold by the attack.

"Darmanitan is unable to battle! Empoleon is the winner!" The referee announced.

* * *

><p>"Come on, Gavin, go for it! Fight, Fight, Fight! Gavin, Gavin, do it right!" The girls continued to cheer as Walker recalled his Darmanitan.<p>

Walker pouted and then muttered, "Why don't I get any cheerleaders?"

He suddenly felt a tug on his pant leg and then turned around to see his Aipom now wearing a cheerleading outfit and holding pom-poms.

"Ai-ai-pom-pom-ai-ai-pom-pom!" Aipom playfully cheered.

Walker sweat-dropped for a moment, sighed, and then said to it, "Thanks, Aipom, I appreciate it."

He then took a Pokéball from his belt and threw it to the air, shouting, "Let's do this, Shroomhead!"

In a burst of light, a mushroom-like creature appeared onto the field. It had a large cap on its head with a blue Pokéball-like design and warts. It also had a huge, grayish, stem-like body, fierce-looking eyes, and a large, magenta nose. It carried two blue Pokéball-like shields.

"A-moon-gus!" It said as it raised its shields up.

Gavin took out his Pokédex and quickly scanned this unfamiliar-looking Pokémon that he assumed to be from the Unova Region.

"_Amoonguss, the Mushroom Pokémon, and the evolved-form of Foongus. They show off their Pokéball caps to lure prey, but very few Pokémon are fooled by this._"

"So it's a Grass-and-Poison-type, huh? And it's a shiny Pokémon." Gavin observed before a grin appeared on his face. He then put the device away and held out Empoleon's Pokéball. "Come on back, Empoleon! I'll use you again in a bit!"

"Em-poleon!" Empoleon crowed as it disappeared in a flash of red back inside the ball.

Gavin looked at the ball with a smile before hooking back onto his belt. He then took another ball and hurled it at the field.

"Weavile, come on out!" Gavin yelled as the ball opened up, causing the Sharp Claw Pokémon to materialize onto the metal floor in front of him.

"Wea!" Weavile said as it showed off its sharp claws by slashing them through the air.

"Weavile versus Amoonguss! Let the battle begin!" The referee decreed.

"Shroomhead, use Faint Attack!" Walker proclaimed.

Shroomhead began to hop towards before it disappeared from sight.

"Weavile, hurry and find it with Foresight!" Gavin instructed.

Weavile immediately shut its eyes and relaxed its body. Seconds later, Shroomhead appeared in front of it, looking shocked that Weavile had found it.

"Now, use Ice Shard!" Gavin ordered.

Weavile held out its hands and fired a glowing light blue ball of ice at Shroomhead, who was immediately hit and blasted back several yards by a subsequent icy explosion.

"Shroomhead, you okay?" Walker asked the Mushroom Pokémon.

Shroomhead got up from the metal ground, looked up at its trainer, and gave him a salute.

"Alright, how about we try Clear Smog?" Walker suggested.

Shroomhead nodded in agreement, turned toward its foe, and opened its mouth, releasing white smoke from it. The white smoke soon began to cover the entire field.

"Counter it with Icy Wind!" Gavin told his Pokémon.

Weavile opened its mouth and blew out a beam of wind with sparkling blue snow in it at Shroomhead's attack. The Icy Wind then succeeded in freezing the Clear Smog, cleansing it and dispelling the toxic gases completely.

"Okay, Weavile, use Metal Claw!" Gavin commanded.

Weavile began running towards Shroomhead with its claws ready to slash. As it ran, its claws took on a metallic glow.

"Stop it with Energy Ball!" Walker yelled.

A small light green orb of energy appeared in front of Shroomhead's mouth. It then fired the orb at its oncoming opponent.

"Weavile, dodge using Agility!" Gavin advised.

Weavile's body momentarily became outlined in white, and then, it vanished while running. It later reappeared several feet to the left, dodging Shroomhead's Energy Ball.

"Rapid-fire Energy Ball!" Walker growled.

"Keep using Agility, Weavile!" Gavin said as he encouraged his Pokémon.

Shroomhead began to fire one Energy Ball after another at its Dark/Ice-type foe. However, utilizing its great speed, Weavile dodged every single one. It then jumped up into the air and came down on Shroomhead, slashing it with Metal Claw.

Shroomhead was knocked back several yards, eventually landing right in front of Walker. It struggled to get up as its body was covered in bruises.

"We can do this, Shroomhead," Walker said to his Pokémon in an attempt to reinvigorate it. Shroomhead gave him a salute and then hopped back onto the field.

Shroomhead now glared at Weavile with intense anger. Weavile knew that it was going to now have to watch out.

"Shroomhead, use Giga Drain!" Walker directed.

Shroomhead held up its shields and fired a glowing green energy beam at its opponent. The beam turned into a whip-like tendril that wrapped around Weavile before it could manage to escape. Light green sparks began to cover Weavile's body, shocking it and sucking out its energy. Weavile began to grimace as the pain grew worse and worse.

"Weavile, get out of there with Night Slash!" Gavin shouted.

"Wea-vile!" Weavile cried out as it broke out of the tendril, its claws now glowing a bright crimson.

"Now, let's hit it with a Blizzard!" Gavin said, pointing directly at the Mushroom Pokémon.

"Shroomhead, use Solarbeam!" Walker ordered.

The gem on Weavile's head began to glow orange, and then Weavile opened its mouth and fired a blizzard from its mouth at its opponent. Meanwhile, Shroomhead charged up solar energy into its cap before firing a yellow beam of light from its mouth at Weavile's attack. The two attacks collided and exploded upon contact, covering the field in a thick cloud of black smoke.

As the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were still standing, although Shroomhead was breathing heavily, whereas Weavile gave it a sneer.

"Shroomhead, let's end this with Sludge Bomb!" Walker commanded.

"Weavile, dodge with Quick Attack!" Gavin instructed.

Shroomhead opened its mouth and fired a ball of brown sludge at Weavile, who ran towards it and dodged the attack with amazing speed. Weavile then jumped into the air, did a flip, and finally landed right behind Shroomhead.

Shroomhead looked shocked as it saw its opponent behind it. Weavile just chuckled menacingly.

"Finish it off with Shadow Ball!" Gavin yelled.

Weavile put its claws together and created a shadowy orb of dark purple coloring in between its hands. It then fired it at Shroomhead, exploding on contact. As the smoke that the explosion created cleared, Shroomhead could be seen lying on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Amoonguss is unable to battle! Weavile is the winner!" The referee said to the crowd.

* * *

><p>At this point, everyone looked up at the screen to see that Walker had lost three Pokémon total, and now only had three left to combat against Gavin's four.<p>

"Now that one of the trainers has lost three of their Pokémon, we will now randomly select another field for the rest of the match!" The referee announced.

He then pushed a button, and once again, the screen began to randomly shift through the different terrain symbols until it landed on one that was white with a picture of a blue snowflake.

"The trainers will now battle on the Ice Field!" The referee said as he looked at the screen. After the two trainers and their Pokémon got out of the way, he pushed a button that caused the Mecha Field to go into the ground and the Ice Field to come up in its place.

The Ice Field was covered in a thick sheet of ice (obviously) and there were several pillars and mounds of ice all over the place.

Walker examined the field for a moment and then made his choice.

"Let's do this, Dozer!" He shouted as hurled a Pokéball at the icy field.

In a flash of light, Walker's Hippowdon landed onto the field with a mighty _thud_. It immediately let out a loud roar as it showed off its strength.

* * *

><p>Gavin looked down at Weavile and said, "Why don't you keep on battling?"<p>

Weavile lifted one of its hands in a salute to its trainer and then walked back onto the field.

The two opponents now glared each other, both embittered due to some of their fainted team members.

"Weavile versus Hippowdon! Let the battle begin!" The referee yelled.

"Weavile, use Quick Attack!" Gavin commanded.

Weavile began skating at a high speed down the ice towards its large opponent.

"Dozer, stop it with Earthquake!" Walker called out.

Dozer lifted one of its legs up into the air and then brought it down hard, creating an earthquake that caused the entire stadium to shake. The ice also started to fracture as a large crack was formed and sent straight at the Sharp Claw Pokémon.

"Weavile, use Aerial Ace to dodge and get close to it!" Gavin instructed.

Weavile skated over towards an ice pillar and used as a ramp to fly up into the air. Then, white streaks surrounded its body as it flew at Dozer and struck it in a flying tackle. Weavile then back flipped back several feet away from its opponent, who was shaking its head out a daze.

"Dozer, hit it with Double-Edge!" Walker hollered.

Dozer began rushing over towards Weavile with a yellow trail of energy following it as it ran.

"Weavile, stop it in its tracks with Avalanche!" Gavin told his Pokémon.

Weavile bent down and put one of its hands on the icy ground. A light blue glow started to spread out throughout the entire field. Then, a large wave of snow began to fall down from the sky at Dozer, who skidded to stop, just barely avoiding the avalanche.

"Alright, then! Let's go around it with Dig!" Walker said enthusiastically.

Dozer quickly dug into the ground, disappearing completely from everybody's sight.

"Be careful, Weavile," Gavin warned. "Watch out for where it's going to come up."

Weavile grunted and then began searching for any sign of movement underground. Suddenly though, the ground began shaking a few feet away from it. As Dozer burst out of the ground, Weavile attempted to jump out of the way.

"Dozer, use Fire Fang!" Walker directed.

Dozer suddenly bit down upon Weavile's foot and its mouth became covered in flames. Weavile cried out in pain as the flames caused it a great deal of damage.

"Weavile, break out with Ice Shard!" Gavin said urgently.

Weavile gritted its teeth as created a light blue ball of ice in its hands and brought it down upon Dozer. Dozer bellowed in agony, causing it to open its mouth and allow Weavile to escape its mouth.

"Now, Weavile, use Dark Pulse!" Gavin shouted.

Weavile held its hands together and fired a beam of shadowy circles at Dozer, who groaned with anger.

"Follow it up with Revenge!" Gavin continued.

Weavile jumped towards Dozer and struck it with its claws, sending it stumbling back several feet towards the snow bank that had been created by the Avalanche earlier.

"Weavile, let's finish this with Avalanche!" Gavin yelled.

Weavile once again touched the ground and caused the ice to let off a bright light blue glow. Suddenly, the snow bank began to rumble until it fell upon Dozer, burying it in a mound of snow.

The only part of Dozer that had not been buried was its head, and now, everyone could see that the ground-type had swirls in its eyes.

"Hippowdon is unable to battle! Weavile is the winner!" The referee stated.

* * *

><p>"Wow, Gavin's really gotten back into the game," Tracey commented while they all watched Walker returned his Hippowdon back into its Pokéball.<p>

"Yeah, but I still don't get how cheerleaders can get someone to do better in a competition, let alone a battle," Max said, for once truly unable to think up a logical answer to his own question.

"It's a mystery, Max," Ash said nonchalantly as he stared over at May, who was continuing to cheer on Gavin with the other girls. She looked back at him and smiled, giving him a wink.

'_She should dress like that more often_,' Ash thought with a stupid-looking grin on his face as he drooled.

* * *

><p>Walker had an expressionless look on his face as he took another Pokéball from his belt. A piercing coldness seemed to emanate from his eyes as he looked at the ball in his hand.<p>

'_It's time to end this battle once and for all,_' He thought as he threw it up into the air.

In a burst of light, a ferocious-looking, winged reptilian creature appeared in the air. It had a gray, oval-shaped body, wings with light purple skin on them, and a tail with a triangular tip. Its most terrifying features were its serrated, saw-like fangs and its dark green eyes.

"Aero!" It screeched. Its cry was so loud that everyone had to cover their ears.

"An Aerodactyl?" Gavin said in disbelief.

"That's right," Walker said with a sneer. "Meet Rocko."

Rocko then landed onto the field, giving Weavile a cold and deadly stare. Weavile looked uneasy at the sight of its new opponent.

"Weavile versus Aerodactyl! Begin!" The referee yelled out.

"Weavile, use Metal Claw!" Gavin said, pointing at Rocko.

Weavile proceeded to skate towards Rocko, its claws sharpening and taking on a metallic glow as it drew closer and closer to it.

"Rocko, use Hyper Beam," Walker growled.

Rocko opened its mouth and fired a pink beam of energy surrounded by white energy down at Weavile. The beam hit Weavile square in the chest and sent it flying back past Gavin until it collided into the wall.

"Wea…," Weavile groaned as it slid down the wall. It then fell to the ground and swirls appeared in its eyes.

"Weavile…is unable to battle?" The referee said, scratching his head in confusion. "Aerodactyl is the winner!"

Gavin grimaced as he pulled out a Pokéball and recalled Weavile. He then threw another ball into the air and shouted, "Empoleon, come on out!"

Instantly, the Emperor Pokémon reappeared in front of Gavin on the icy field. When it saw the Aerodactyl, it gave the prehistoric Pokémon a steely gaze.

"Empoleon versus Aerodactyl! Begin!" The referee lifted his flags into the air.

"Empoleon, use Whirlpool!" Gavin commanded.

Empoleon's body glowed a bluish-white and it raised its arms and beak into the air. It then opened its beak and a huge whirlpool came out of it, forming above the Water/Steel-type.

"Rocko, hit the whirlpool with Whirlwind!" Walker hollered out.

Rocko started to flap its wings at a high speed and a strong gust of wind was created from them. The winds caused Empoleon to falter in its attack and the whirlpool to break apart, splashing to the ground.

"Now, use Giga Impact!" Walker ordered.

Rocko flew up into the sky and its body became surrounded by orange streaks. A purple energy then appeared from the top of the streaks and enveloped its body. Rocko then flew at Empoleon, tackling it before it could even dodge.

Empoleon was knocked back towards one of the icy pillars, causing it to shatter completely as it collided with the mound of ice. After the fragments of ice covered up most of its lower body, everyone could see that Empoleon had been knocked out "cold." Literally.

"Empoleon is unable to battle! Aerodactyl is the winner!" The referee said to the crowd.

* * *

><p>Everyone's eyes were wide in shock as they watched Rocko let out a screech, gloating in its victory over two of Gavin's Pokémon.<p>

"What's going to happen now?" Max asked his older sister, who was still wearing a pink cheerleading outfit.

"I don't know, Max," May said with fear in her voice.

"Well, they both now have two Pokémon left each, so who does Gavin still have?" Cilan asked.

No one even had an idea on who Gavin had left to battle. Whoever it was, though, they were going to be very strong to combat with that Aerodactyl.

* * *

><p>Gavin stared up into the eyes of Walker's Aerodactyl. Those green eyes it had seemed to emanate power and violence.<p>

Gavin looked at the Pokéball in his hand. Out of all of the Pokémon that he had, this was the one that could beat that Aerodactyl.

Gavin threw the ball up into the air and yelled, "Flygon, come on out!"

In a flash of light, the large, green, insect-like dragon Pokémon appeared onto the field. It let out a mighty cry before glaring at the Fossil Pokémon. (If you listened carefully, you could hear Iris squealing with excitement when she saw Flygon.)

"So, we meet again," Walker said, smirking at the sight of Flygon. "I've been waiting for this rematch for a long time."

"Flygon versus Aerodactyl! Begin!" The referee said to the battlers.

"Flygon, up into the air!" Gavin instructed.

With a flap of its wings, Flygon took off into the air high above the stadium at an unbelievable speed.

"Follow it!" Walker shouted.

Rocko rocketed up into the air after its opponent, causing the entire crowd to turn their gaze to the skies above.

Soon, both of them were at a standstill in the air, gently flapping their wings as they prepared to battle.

"Flygon, use DragonBreath!" Gavin bellowed.

Flygon opened its mouth and released a light blue beam of air out at its opponent, who flew up further to dodge the attack.

"Rocko, respond with AncientPower!" Walker directed.

Rocko put its wings together, and as it spread them apart, a silver ball of energy began to form before the Rock/Flying-type fired it at Flygon.

"Knock it back with Dragon Tail!" Gavin ordered.

Flygon's tail glowed light blue as it struck Rocko's attack like a whip, sending it back at its opponent. Rocko tried to dodge, but the silvery orb ended up hitting its back. Rocko began to hurtle towards the ground before it managed to break into a glide. It landed back onto the field, looking up at Flygon in anger.

"Rocko, let's show it your Iron Head!" Walker declared.

Rocko flew up into the air and its body became surrounded by a white aura. The aura seemed to make its body look black and white.

"Flygon, use Screech!" Gavin said with determination in his voice.

Flygon shook its wings and they became surrounded in a white aura. They soon sent out purple shockwaves at Rocko, who stopped in mid-air. Its face became contorted with irritation as the piercing sound hit its ears.

"Now, Flygon, use Steel Wing!" Gavin yelled.

Both of Flygon's wings took on a metallic glow as it flew straight at its opponent. Flygon struck Rocko in the chest with one of its wings and began dragging it down to the ground. With a quick flick of its wings, Flygon launched Rocko at the ground.

As it hit the ground, the icy field was suddenly filled up with a multitude of large cracks. After Rocko finally pulled its head out of the ice, it let out a roar before taking back off into the air.

"Rocko, use Sky Drop!" Walker roared.

Rocko flew at Flygon at a supersonic speed and grabbed its shoulders with its claws. They soared up higher into the sky before Rocko began a plummeting dive towards the ground. Just before they were about to hit the ground, Rocko threw Flygon at the field. Flygon crashed into one of the icy pillars.

"Now, hit it with a Hyper Beam!" Walker shouted.

Rocko opened its mouth and released another devastating beam of pink-and-white-colored energy at its downed opponent, creating a massive explosion.

Once the smoke cleared, Flygon was shown to be still conscious and ready to fight, but now, its body was covered in bruises and burns.

Gavin gritted his teeth. He had to find some way to take this Aerodactyl down. Suddenly, his eyes lit up in realization.

"Flygon, use Tailwind!" Gavin called out.

Flygon's body momentarily took on a white glow as air power was gathered to enhance its speed.

"Get up to Rocko using Faint Attack!" Gavin instructed.

Flygon flew up into the air before disappearing and reappearing several feet above Rocko, who looked up at the Mystic Pokémon in surprise.

"Now, use Draco Meteor!" Gavin commanded.

Flygon began to glow orange and an orange ball of light appeared in its chest. The glow faded and the orange orb reappeared in front of its mouth. Flygon fired the orb up into the air and the orb then exploded, releasing multiple orange spheres at Rocko.

Rocko attempted to dodge the falling meteors, but eventually, one hit it and sent it plummeting towards the ground, where it landed with an extremely loud _thud_.

As the smoke cleared, Rocko's body was seen lying on the ground. Its eyes were now swirled in its unconsciousness.

"Aerodactyl is unable to battle! Flygon is the winner!" The referee announced.

* * *

><p>The crowd began to cheer for Flygon as it flew back to the ground. After it landed, Flygon looked down at its unconscious foe.<p>

Flygon smiled proudly before it suddenly winced and fell to ground, hitting it with a soft _thump._

"Flygon, no!" Gavin yelled out in shock.

"Flygon is unable to battle!" The referee said, pointing a flag into the air.

At this point, both Gavin and Walker recalled their Pokémon back into their Pokéballs. Gavin looked down at Flygon's ball and gave it a sad smile.

"Thank you, Flygon," Gavin muttered, trying not to cry. "Take a long rest."

He then looked down at Pichu, who looked both determined and angry.

"Are you ready, Buddy?" Gavin asked.

Pichu nodded enthusiastically and then ran out onto the field in front of him. Yellow sparks danced across its pink cheeks as it prepared to battle.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Walker turned towards Aipom and said, "You know what to do."<p>

Aipom nodded and then scurried over onto the ice. It glared daggers at its Electric-type rival.

"This is the final battle," The referee said to the two competitors. "Whoever wins this battle will take Third Place in the tournament. Pichu versus Aipom! Begin!"

"Pichu, use Thundershock!" Gavin ordered.

"Piiii-chuuuuuuu!" Pichu cried out as it released a bolt of yellow electricity at its opponent.

"Block it with Swift!" Walker advised.

Aipom's tail glowed yellow, and then, it swung it, causing a barrage of yellow stars to be shot out at Pichu's attack. The two attacks collided, creating an explosion of black smoke on impact.

"Use Iron Tail!" Gavin hollered.

Pichu began running down the field towards Aipom before it jumped up into the air, did a flip, and came down at the Long Tail Pokémon with its metallically-glowing tail.

"Intercept with Focus Punch!" Walker instructed.

The hand on Aipom's tail began glowing light blue and it threw a fist at Pichu. Sparks flew as the two tails clashed against each other. Finally, the force became too great, and the two broke apart. Both of them were sent flying backwards over the span of several yards.

After the two of them landed on their feet and skidded to a stop, Pichu and Aipom both got ready to continue the fight.

"Aipom, use Beat Up!" Walker commanded.

Aipom sprinted towards Pichu and began throwing a flurry of punches at Pichu with its tail-hand.

"Pichu, dodge it!" Gavin directed.

Pichu began quickly stepping backwards, dodging every punch that was thrown at it by simply moving its head out of the way. The two continued this series of attacking and dodging at an extremely fast speed.

"Pichu can't dodge forever, Gavin!" Walker said with a sneer. "He'll be hit by one of Aipom's attacks eventually!"

"Maybe we'll just have to block it!" Gavin said, smirking. "Light Screen!"

A golden box suddenly appeared around Pichu's body, blocking Aipom's punch and throwing it completely off balance.

"Now, use Thundershock!" Gavin called out.

Pichu then released another bolt of yellow electricity at Aipom, who was hit and sent flying backwards across the ice.

Walker began to look very angry as he watched his rival smile at him. Suddenly, a smile crept its way onto his face.

"I'll admit that that was a good move," Walker said begrudgingly. "But let's see how you do against this. Aipom, use Double Team!"

Aipom's body flashed white and it created multiple copies of itself. The Aipom clones all then surrounded Pichu, who growled angrily.

"Follow up with Dig!" Walker continued.

All of the Aipom clones burrowed into the ground and began to dig towards Pichu. As they dug, the ice continued to crack up until there was a huge rut surrounding Pichu's little ice island.

"Now, finish it with Cut!" Walker roared.

The Aipom jumped up out of the ground and slashed at Pichu with glowing light blue tail-hands. As they slashed at it, it left behind a light blue trail of energy where it had slashed. Pichu was hit by all of their attacks and it yelled out in its pain. It then fell over to the ground.

"Pichu!" Gavin cried out.

* * *

><p>The entire group was in complete and utter shock as they watched Pichu fall to the ground.<p>

"No, no way," May said softly, tears beginning to appear in her eyes.

"This can't be happening!" Max burst out. "Gavin can't lose!"

All of the Pokémon were currently looking very worried for their friend. Even Meowth was looking a bit concerned.

* * *

><p>Gavin looked at the field towards his partner, who was covered in bumps and bruises. Aipom's clones suddenly disappeared, and now there was a lone Aipom standing over Pichu with an evil-looking grin on its face.<p>

"Alright, time to end this," Walker said with a smirk. "Use Double Hit!"

Aipom's tail-hand glowed a light purple glow and it then struck Pichu with a punch.

Gavin winced as Pichu was hit. This was his best friend being hurt, and there was nothing he could do to save him.

Aipom then brought its tail-hand back for another punch and as it threw it, time seemed to slow down. A huge gasp seemed to emanate throughout the entire stadium. It looked like all was lost for Pichu.

Then, out of nowhere, a small yellow hand stopped Aipom's fist. Aipom looked shocked as it saw Pichu stand back up, grinning at it.

(Cue Pokémon 1st Season Anime Intense Action Music Sequence)

"Pichu!" Gavin said happily.

"WHAT?" Walker said in utter shock.

"Pichu, use Reversal!" Gavin commanded with a grin.

The hand holding Aipom's fist became surrounded by three small blue orbs of energy. The orbs began circling its body until they entered its right hand. Pichu then brought back a glowing blue fist and struck Aipom in the chest. The power of the attack was so high that it sent Aipom flying across the field. If Aipom hadn't caught a hold of one of the pillars, it would've hit the wall.

* * *

><p>"Pichu's okay!" May and Dawn said happily.<p>

"Hooray!" Max said as he and Brock both threw fists into the air.

The five girls then began to cheer, "Come on, Pichu, go for it! Fight! Fight! Fight! Pichu, Pichu, do it right!"

"Pika-pi-chu!" Pikachu cheered. ("Go, Pichu!")

"Okay, Pichu, let's win this! Use Volt Tackle!" Gavin shouted.

"Pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi…," Pichu began incessantly chanting as it ran towards its opponent. As it ran, its body became surrounded by golden electricity that made its body look black and white.

"Aipom, use Last Resort!" Walker yelled.

Aipom's body took on a white glow as it sprinted towards the oncoming Pichu. A white trail of energy followed it as it ran.

The two Pokémon collided and the air became tense as the two powerful forces continued to push against each other. Sparks flew all around them, and beads of sweat were dripping down both of their brows.

Finally, an explosion occurred, and both Pokémon were caught in the blast. Black smoke covered the entire stadium, blocking the field from everybody's sight.

Eventually, the smoke cleared out of the stadium. Everyone looked down at the field to see who had won.

Pichu and Aipom were both still standing and panting heavily. The two of them grinned at each other as they each struggled to stay conscious. Then, they both winced and fell to the ground simultaneously.

"Neither Pokémon is able to battle!" The referee decreed. "Due to this turn of events, both trainers will share the title of third place!"

* * *

><p>The crowd let out a mighty cheer as the two trainers and their partner Pokémon shook hands in the middle of the field. Both of them then began waving to the crowd.<p>

"You know, we're not even yet," Walker said in a low whisper so that only Gavin could hear him. Gavin raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know if anybody else saw it, but Aipom fell first by about half a second. In that case, you should be the one to take Third Place."

Walker suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Gavin shake his head from side to side.

"No, Walker," Gavin began. "We both win. I don't care about whether we tied or not. The only thing that matters is that we had a great battle. And if that means we tied, than we tied."

Walker and Gavin both grinned and then continued to wave to the crowd until Mr. Battrio made an announcement:

"Well, now that this battle is over with, we will now break until tomorrow's final battle between our two finalists, Ash Ketchum and Leaf Green! See you then!"

* * *

><p>Later that night, while everyone else was asleep, Ash was standing in front of a glowing computer screen.<p>

"So you want me to send him?" A feminine voice coming from the speakers said to the trainer.

"Yes, can you do it?" Ash asked.

"I certainly can," The voice replied. "He's really missed you. Okay, I'm sending him now."

A few minutes later, Ash walked outside followed by Pikachu and Meowth.

"Pi-ka-chu?" Pikachu asked, rubbing the sleep out of its eyes. ("What's going on?")

"Yeah, what's the big deal?" Meowth inquired.

"I just wanted to show you guys an old friend who will be participating in my battle tomorrow," Ash said with a grin.

He then threw the Pokéball into the air, and it released an enormous burst of blue light.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 40: "Kafue Tournament Final Battle! It's Not Always Black &amp; White…Its FireRed &amp; LeafGreen!"<span>_- It comes down to all of this as Ash and Leaf prepared to battle each other in the final battle of the Kafue Town Battle Tournament! Both trainers are looking strong, but who will win and take the mysterious prize for their own? And what Pokémon did Ash send for? Tune in to find out!

**Hope you all liked it! One more chapter of the tournament left! Can't wait! Read and Review!**

**If you're wondering about the fourth wall breakage in this chapter, I typed in the question "Why does every Ursaring know Hyper Beam?" into a search engine (only works for a certain one) one day while I was writing this chapter, and when I searched it, Chapter 13 of my story was at the top of the list! That's awesome! Also, my story has become a bit more widely known on the search engine as well! **

**Okay, I have 3 questions: 1) Who will win the tournament? 2) If you had won, what would you have wanted the mysterious grand prize to be? 3) What Pokemon did Ash send for?**

**Anyways, I'll try to write and post the next chapter as fast as I am able to, but it'll all depend on my varying schedule! **

**Also, my story now has a companion story: "Along the Road of Ultimates" by Darkiceflame! It's about their OC Tara and what she does after the tournament! I highly recommend it! Read and Review their story. **

**Okay, I'll see you guys next time! Bye!**


	40. Chapter 40

**New Chapter, hooray! Hope ya like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

Chapter_ 40: "Kafue Tournament Final Battle! It's Not Always Black & White…It's FireRed & LeafGreen!"_

(Kafue Town Stadium, 11:00am)

"Welcome everyone to the final battle of the Kafue Town Battle Tournament!" Mr. Battrio said to the crowd, who immediately went into a huge uproar of cheers.

"We started this competition with 32 competitors, but now, we are down to our final match-up between Ash Ketchum and Leaf Green of Pallet Town!"

On the field, both Kanto natives waved to the loudly applauding crowd. Ash held one of his hands in the air and waved it frantically while he had a goofy grin on his face. Leaf, on the other hand, gracefully gave the crowd a bow.

"Once again, this battle will be a full battle using six Pokémon each. Unlike the semifinal battles, however, this battle will take place on a normal battlefield instead of different terrains. Now, let us begin!"

* * *

><p>Ash looked over at his opponent with a steely gaze in his eyes. Out of all of the trainers that he could have faced in the finals, it had to be Leaf, one of his oldest friends. Back when they had first left Pallet Town on their respective journeys, Ash had been the underdog of Pallet. Now, however, it was time to show his worth.<p>

Ash took a Pokéball from his belt, turned his cap around, and threw the ball towards the field, shouting, "Corphish, I choose you!"

In a flash of light, a crustacean creature with a red shell appeared onto the field. Its underbelly and the underside of its pincers were all cream-colored, along with the joints to its legs. It had two pincers and three pairs of legs. Its eyes were saucer-like with small pupils, and it had three spikes on its head. It also had a short, lobster-like tail.

"Cor-phish!" Corphish said as it snapped its pincers a couple of times.

* * *

><p>On the opposite side of the field, Leaf smiled confidently before pulling a Pokéball out of her bag and tossing it into the air.<p>

"It's time to shine, Magneton!" She yelled as the ball opened up and released a burst of blue light.

As the light faded, the Magnet Pokémon appeared. It floated down closer to the field, where it and Corphish began to glare at each other.

"Corphish versus Magneton! Let the battle begin!" The referee called out.

"Corphish, use BubbleBeam!" Ash commanded.

"Cor-phish-phish-phish-phish!" Corphish began to chant as it opened one of its pincers and fired a barrage of blue bubbles at its opponent.

"Magneton, intercept with Thunderbolt!" Leaf instructed.

Magneton's magnets glowed yellow as it fired a powerful bolt of yellow electricity from them at Corphish's attack, popping the bubbles with ease.

"Now hit it with Tackle!" Leaf told her Pokémon.

Magneton began flying down the field at a surprisingly fast speed towards Corphish. Before Corphish could even dodge, Magneton slammed into it and sent it flying backwards several feet.

"Corphish, try your Crabhammer!" Ash hollered

Corphish jumped up towards Magneton and struck its opponent with a glowing white pincer. The power of this attack knocked the Steel/Electric-type to the ground, where it landed with a thud. After a few seconds of pain, Magneton managed to get itself back up off of the ground.

"Now, Corphish! Use ViceGrip!" Ash said confidently.

Corphish proceeded to scurry towards Magneton before leaping towards it with its claw ready to pinch.

"Magneton, use Gyro Ball!" Leaf shouted.

Just as Corphish grabbed onto one of Magneton's magnets, Magneton began spinning around at an extremely high speed, making Corphish dizzier and dizzier with each turn. Finally, as it came to a sudden stop, Corphish was thrown off and sent flying across the field. It continued to fly until it landed on its face a few feet in front of Ash.

Once Corphish finally pulled itself up off of the ground, everyone could tell that it was ticked. It then began running at Magneton, randomly snapping its pincers up in the air with each step it took.

Leaf frowned, pointed at Corphish, and cried out, "Magneton, use Lock-On!"

Magneton's eyes started to glow red, and it then released a red ring from its body at the Ruffian Pokémon. As the ring hit Corphish, a small red target stuck to its body. When Corphish looked down at the mark, a frightened, wide-eyed look appeared on its face.

Ash growled. Now, Magneton's next attack would hit no matter what they tried to do in order to avoid it. Unless…

"Magneton, use Zap Cannon!" Ash suddenly heard Leaf shout.

Magneton began to create a yellow orb of electricity with a red center in between its magnets before firing it at its crustacean opponent.

"Corphish, use Protect!" Ash directed.

Corphish's shell flashed white and then a turquoise force field appeared around its body. As Magneton's attack came, the force field completely blocked the electrical blast.

After the remains of Magneton's attack fizzled out, Corphish's shield faded, and the target on its shell dissipated.

"Alright, Corphish, let's get back in the game with Night Slash!" Ash ordered.

Corphish leapt up into the air and began to come down towards Magneton, its claw giving off a crimson glow with a red trail flowing behind it as it brought it down at its magnetic foe.

"Ton!" Magneton groaned as it wobbled around in the air in a dazed state. After it shook it off, however, it panicked when it saw Corphish open up both of its pincers.

"Use BubbleBeam!" Ash called out.

"Magneton, use Electro Ball!" Leaf said in a hurry.

As Corphish fired a torrent of blue bubbles at the Magnet Pokémon, Magneton quickly formed an orb of yellow electricity in between its magnets and then shot it towards Corphish's attack. The two attacks collided and caused a small explosion of black smoke.

Soon, after the smoke cleared, everyone watched as Corphish and Magneton glared at each other, although looking very tired. It looked like the sub-match would end within the next few attacks.

"Magneton, use Mirror Shot!" Leaf yelled.

"Corphish, Harden!" Ash instructed.

Magneton's eyes flashed white and it fired a three small green beams from its pupils that formed into one large green beam of energy as it headed straight towards Corphish. At the same time, the Water-type's body flashed white and began to shine. As the attack hit, Corphish was only pushed back a few inches as it withstood the attack.

"Now, use Water Pulse!" Ash shouted.

"Magneton, block it with Discharge!" Leaf blurted out.

Corphish's pincers began to glow light blue in color. It then pointed both of them towards each other and formed a light blue ball of energy in between them before firing at its opponent.

As the attack drew closer, Magneton released multiple light blue beams of electricity from its body at Corphish's attack. Once the electricity hit the ball, it burst and then fizzled out completely.

"Alright, Corphish! Hit it with X-Scissor!" Ash ordered.

Corphish jumped up into the air and both of its pincers glowed blue. It then crossed them in front of its body and began to fall down towards its opponent. As it did, a light blue "X" like energy appeared in front of its pincers.

"Magneton, quick! Stop it with Magnet Bomb!" Leaf said nervously.

A silver orb appeared in front of the Steel/Electric-type's magnets. It then fired the orb up at Corphish. The orb exploded upon impact, but even though the "X" energy was gone, Corphish was still coming down at it.

"Now, Corphish! Finish it off with Crabhammer!" Ash said while pointing at their opponent.

"Corrrrrr-phish!" Corphish cried out as it flipped through the air and then brought its glowing white pincer down upon Magneton. Magneton was immediately knocked to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust as it landed.

As the dust cleared, everyone saw Magneton lying on the ground, groaning with swirls in its eyes.

The referee raised up one of his flags while pointing the other at Corphish as he said to the crowd, "Magneton is unable to battle! Corphish is the winner!"

* * *

><p>Up in the stands, our heroes gave a long round of applause to their two finalist friends. Walker and Gary were on the ends of the row, and sitting in between them were Max, Brock, May, Dawn, Gavin, Iris, Cilan, Misty, and Tracey.<p>

At the time, a few of the Pokémon that had been let out of their Pokéballs were enjoying watching the battle. Earlier, Ash had left Pikachu and Meowth with May, and now, the Electric Mouse was sitting happily in her lap while Meowth sat on the floor in front of her feet. Joining them was Piplup, Pichu, and Aipom, who were all sitting with their trainers in their usual spots.

"Come on, Ash! You can do it!" May shouted while cupping her hands around her mouth.

"Keep it up, Leaf!" Dawn yelled, doing the same thing as May.

They had all agreed earlier to cheer for both of their friends in order to be fair and prevent the events that had occurred the other day during Ash and Gavin's battle.

"Ash is doing pretty well so far," Max commented.

"Yeah, but it's only the first sub-match, and they still have a long way to go," Brock reasoned. "It's too early to predict this match's winner."

The others nodded in agreement and then went back to watching the battle.

* * *

><p>Our heroes weren't the only ones watching this battle. Throughout the stadium, many of the other competitors that had been knocked out earlier were watching this final battle intently.<p>

* * *

><p>Across the stadium sitting opposite of the group were four male trainers with an all-black-colored Absol lying at their feet asleep. One of them was a young man with short brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a short-sleeved blue shirt with a picture of an Articuno on the back, blue pants, and black shoes.<p>

"So who do you guys think is going to win this battle?" Jeff Carmine asked the other three sitting next to him.

They all shrugged. Then, a teen with short brown hair and blue eyes who wore a long-sleeved navy-colored shirt with its sleeves pushed up and a phoenix symbol in the center, brown cargo shorts, shoes that were mostly black with some yellow on them, a backpack strap slung to his chest piped up and replied, "I don't know, but I can't wait to find out!"

Jeff and the other two gave Timothy a nod. Then, the boy with flat, messy brown hair and eyes of two different colors sitting in the wheelchair next to the row with a Tyrogue in his lap said, "That Leaf girl looks pretty good!"

The boy that was sitting in between him and Timothy and wearing a blue baseball cap nodded, but then added, "Yeah, but Ash is really strong, too."

The others all agreed with Kyle and then proceeded to return their gazes to the match at hand.

* * *

><p>Leaf had by now recalled Magneton and was holding the Pokéball containing her next choice. She hurled it at the field and said, "It's time to shine, Fearow!"<p>

In a burst of blue-colored light, the large Beak Pokémon took flight and then steadied itself in the air. When it saw Ash, it glared at him with a look of severe hatred.

Ash flinched for a second, but then shook it off, plastering a confident look onto his face.

"We can handle this, right, Corphish?" Ash said to his Hoenn Water-type Pokémon.

Corphish nodded eagerly with a happy grin on its face. It gave a snap of its pincers in the air and then turned around to face its opponent.

"Corphish versus Fearow! Begin!" The referee told the competitors.

"Fearow, use Quick Attack!" Leaf hollered out.

Fearow began flying at a high speed towards Corphish, it sharp and deadly beak at the ready.

"Corphish, grab that beak with ViceGrip!" Ash directed.

As Fearow came through the air at it, Corphish jumped up and grabbed on tightly to Fearow's beak using its pincers. Fearow then turned around in the air, carrying Corphish with it.

"Fearow, get it off using Drill Peck!" Leaf instructed.

Fearow's beak immediately started spinning rapidly like a drill, causing Corphish to spin around with it until its grip was loosened enough for Fearow to throw it off towards the ground.

"Now, let's take it out with Sky Attack!" Leaf commanded.

Fearow flew straight down at top speed towards Corphish with its body surrounded by a clear aura and white energy. It then slammed into Corphish extremely hard and Corphish was knocked into the ground.

Corphish moaned as swirls filled its eyes while it laid on the ground unconsciously.

"Corphish is unable to battle!" The referee decreed his ruling. "Fearow is the winner!"

* * *

><p>While Ash returned his fallen Corphish to its Pokéball, three people sitting in the stands were watching the battle with interest.<p>

"They're both doing well, aren't they?" The brown-haired, green-eyed, slightly tanned teenage male known as Orange said with his shiny Gengar floating beside him.

Maris O'Conner nodded and replied, "Yeah, but Ash better watch out. Leaf really knows what she's doing."

"I'm just hoping that mean guy Jim doesn't find me here and try to beat me up again," Kory said, looking over his shoulder nervously.

* * *

><p>At the time Kory said this, Jim Alraik, who was sitting on the other side of the stadium, sneezed.<p>

"Okay, who said my name? I guess I'll have to go find out," He said, cracking his knuckles before standing up and going up the steps menacingly.

* * *

><p>Leaf stared at Ash with a contemplative expression on her face. A smirk then appeared onto her face.<p>

'_From what I've heard from the others, Ash has a Pidgeot that beat my Fearow back when it was a wild Pok__é__mon,_' Leaf thought slyly. '_He's obviously going to send it out, thinking that it will just beat it again. Luckily, my Fearow is ready for it and will easily take it down._'

She then watched as Ash took a Pokéball from his belt and threw it into the air, yelling, "I choose you…Gengar!"

"Wait, what?" Leaf's eyes widened from her surprise as she watched the ball open and release the purple Ghost-type onto the field.

"Gen-gen-gar-gar," Gengar chuckled malevolently.

"GENGAR?" Leaf exclaimed in disbelief. "But I was sure that he was going to use Pidgeot!"

"Sorry to disappoint you," Ash said with a grin. "Now, let's get this round started!"

Leaf growled at him and then glared at the field with an angry expression on her face.

They then heard the referee say loudly, "Gengar versus Fearow! Begin!"

"Gengar, use Dark Pulse!" Ash shouted.

Gengar held its hands together and then fired a beam of black-and-purple circles at its opponent, who just barely dodged the attack.

"Fearow, try Assurance!" Leaf suggested.

Fearow's beak began to take on a dark purple glow, and it then flew down towards Gengar.

"Gengar, use Sucker Punch!" Ash commanded.

Before Fearow even got halfway to its target, Gengar suddenly appeared next to it in the air. Gengar then struck it in the gut with a swift punch, causing the Beak Pokémon to have to cease its attack in its pain.

"Follow it up with Ominous Wind!" Ash continued.

Gengar nodded and a strained look appeared on its face. Seconds later, a rumbling began in its stomach before it opened its mouth and belched a purple wind from it straight into Fearow's face.

Fearow's eyes began to water because of the smell and it was struggling to keep itself airborne.

"Fearow, use Aerial Ace on it!" Leaf ordered.

Fearow shook its head and started to fly straight towards the Shadow Pokémon with white streaks surrounding its body.

"Gengar, stop it with Disable!" Ash instructed.

Gengar's eyes began to glow light blue, and suddenly, Fearow's body became outlined in a light blue glow. It immediately ceased its attack and it appeared to be unable to move.

"Now, Gengar! Hit it with a ThunderPunch!" Ash yelled.

Gengar swiftly flew up to Fearow and then struck it in the back with a fist cloaked in sparkling yellow electricity. Fearow screamed out in pain and was sent hurtling down towards the ground, where it crashed into the earth.

"Fear…," Fearow weakly squawked as it laid upon the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Fearow is unable to battle! Gengar is the winner!" The referee stated, pointing one of his flags at Gengar.

* * *

><p>Leaf immediately recalled her Fearow back into its ball. Meanwhile, Gengar began to float around Ash happily with a wide grin on its face.<p>

"You did a great job, Gengar," Ash said proudly.

"Gen-gen-gar-gar-gen-gar-gar-gen?" Gengar asked expectantly.

"Yes, after the battle is over, I'll get you a whole bucket of French fries," Ash answered with a sigh.

Gengar did a fist-pump into the air, and it already began to drool at the thought of all of those delicious fried wonders of the world.

"Okay, how about you go back into your ball right now, and I'll use you later?" Ash suggested.

Gengar nodded, and then Ash returned the goofy Ghost/Poison-type back into its ball in a flash of red light.

Ash then placed the ball back onto his belt and took another one from it. He then threw the new ball into the air and yelled, "Gible, I choose you!"

Instantly, the small, blue pudgy dragon Pokémon appeared onto the field in front of the raven-haired trainer.

"Gi-ble!" It said with a wide, toothy grin on its face.

* * *

><p>Across the field, a smirk appeared onto Leaf's face at the sight of Ash's Dragon-type.<p>

"A Gible, huh?" Leaf said slyly. "Well, I've got the perfect Pokémon for this one."

She then took a Pokéball from her bag and tossed it into the air, shouting, "It's time to shine, Dragonite!"

In a flash of light, Leaf's large, orange dragon Pokémon materialized onto the dusty ground. When it saw Gible, it began to glare angrily at it.

"Gible versus Dragonite!" The referee said to the crowd. "Begin!"

"Dragonite, use Steel Wing!" Leaf called out.

Dragonite took off up into the air and its wings took on a metallic shine as it started to fly towards its opponent.

"Gible, quick! Use Dig!" Ash advised.

Gible grinned and then back-flipped into the air before diving underground, just barely dodging Dragonite's attack.

"Now come up and use Rock Smash!" Ash commanded.

Gible then burst out of the ground in front of Dragonite and struck it with a glowing orange arm. The power of the attack sent Dragonite flying backwards several feet before it stopped itself in a sliding skid.

"Dragonite, let's show them your Dragon Claw!" Leaf ordered.

Dragonite suddenly glided towards Gible and slashed it with its light blue glowing claws.

"Gi-ble!" Gible cried out as it was sent flying back before landing on the ground a few yards back. As it stood back up, it looked angrily at its opponent before jumping back into the battle.

* * *

><p>While the two Dragon-types fought, four teenage trainers in the crowd winced at every blow that each Pokémon made.<p>

"Ouch," A guy wearing a red shirt with green stripes, jeans, a blue cap, and Pokéball-patterned gloves said as he watched Dragonite hit Gible with an Aqua Tail. "That's gotta hurt."

"I've got to agree with you on that, Lune," Webb said with a nod. "Dragonite's definitely got the advantage in this battle."

"Oh, I think Gible could win if it believes in itself," Afeleon said optimistically while rubbing Sparx beneath its chin.

"Uh, did you not see what that Dragonite did to that Gyarados yesterday?" Vladimir shot back, looking at Afeleon in disbelief. "That Gible's toast."

* * *

><p>Vladimir may have had a point. No matter how hard Gible fought against Dragonite, it was no match for its power. Ash gritted his teeth as he watched Gible get struck by Dragonite's Hurricane attack.<p>

"Gible, use Dragon Pulse!" Ash directed.

"Dragonite, block it with Thunder!" Leaf instructed.

Gible opened its mouth and a turquoise ball of energy appeared in front of it. It then fired it at Dragonite. However, Dragonite released a bolt of yellow electricity from its antennae at the orb, causing both attacks to explode in mid-air.

"Gible, try Iron Head!" Ash yelled.

Gible shook its currently dazed expression off of its face and then began to charge at Dragonite. A white aura appeared around it as it ran and its body started to look like it was black and white.

"Dragonite, send it flying with Aqua Tail," Leaf yawned.

A stream of water began spiraling around Dragonite's tail as it whipped it at Gible, stopping the Land Shark Pokémon in its tracks and sending it flying back towards Ash. Gible skidded to a stop just a few feet away from its trainer.

'_We're gonna have to try it now, or Dragonite will knock us out for sure_,' Ash thought as Gible struggled to stand back up.

"Gible, we're gonna have to try it!" Ash told his Pokémon. "Use Draco Meteor!"

Gible's body started to glow orange and an orange ball of light formed inside its body. Then, Gible opened its mouth wide and a huge orange orb appeared inside of it. It then fired the orb into the sky where it exploded, releasing multiple smaller spheres that began to rain down upon its opponent.

"Dragonite, dodge with Dragon Rush!" Leaf shouted.

Dragonite flew up into the air and its body became surrounded in a light blue orb with white streaks as it began to dodge the meteors with ease. Finally, after all of the meteors had hit the ground, Dragonite landed back down onto the ground and looked at Gible with a sneer on its face.

"Now, finish it off with Hyper Beam!" Leaf said, pointing at Ash's Pokémon who was in total shock that its ultimate attack had missed.

"Gible, hurry and dodge!" Ash cried out to his Pokémon.

But before Gible could even make a move, Dragonite fired a pink beam of intense energy surrounded by white energy at it. Gible took the full force of the attack, and was sent hurtling towards the concrete wall behind Ash. As it struck impact, it was immediately knocked out cold.

"Gible is unable to battle! Dragonite is the winner!" The referee announced.

* * *

><p>"Well, they're even again," Gavin said as he watched his cousin return Gible back into its ball. At the same time, Leaf recalled her Dragonite as well.<p>

"So let's see, Ash has so far used Corphish, Gengar, and Gible," May said, counting off the three Pokémon that she had seen Ash use, "while Leaf has used Magneton, Fearow, and Dragonite."

"And Corphish, Gible, Magneton, and Fearow have all been knocked out," Cilan added.

"Leaving them with Gengar, Dragonite, and three Pokémon each that haven't seen battle yet," Misty finished.

"I wonder who they'll use next?" Max thought out loud.

* * *

><p>"Bayleef, I choose you!" Ash's voice could be heard saying as a Pokéball opened up in the air, releasing a pale yellow sauropod dinosaur-like creature with a leaf on its head onto the field.<p>

As soon as the Grass-type saw her trainer, however, she ran over to him and began rubbing her head underneath Ash's palm.

Ash nervously chuckled and said, "It's nice to see you too, Bayleef. But how about we get ready for the battle?"

It took a few seconds, but Bayleef finally went back out onto the field, now looking ready to battle.

"It's time to shine, Dusknoir!" Leaf cried out as she threw her Pokéball to the field.

In a flash of blue light, the Gripper Pokémon appeared, now floating ominously above the ground. Bayleef looked slightly uneasy when she saw who her opponent was going to be.

"Bayleef versus Dusknoir! Begin!" The referee said to the competitors.

"Bayleef, use Razor Leaf!" Ash hollered out.

The leaf on its head began to glow a light green, and then, Bayleef swung its head, causing multiple razor-sharp green leaves to fly out at its opponent.

"Dusknoir, block them with Will-O-Wisp!" Leaf instructed.

Dusknoir held out both of its hands and the yellow markings on its body began to glow yellow. Two blue fireballs then appeared in front of its hands and Dusknoir fired them at Bayleef's attack, engulfing the leaves in blue flames.

"Now, use Shadow Punch!" Leaf called out.

"Bayleef, Reflect!" Ash directed.

Dusknoir fired two shadowy fists from its hands at its opponent, but a large, light blue glowing wall appeared in front of Bayleef, blocking the attack.

"That won't keep us out for long, Ashy," Leaf said cutely. "Dusknoir, use Brick Break!"

Dusknoir flew towards its opponent and then struck the wall with a fist that was engulfed in a white light. The force of its punch caused immediately caused the wall to shatter like glass.

"Okay, Dusknoir, hit it with your Fire Punch!" Leaf commanded.

"Bayleef, grab Dusknoir's arm with your vines!" Ash told the Leaf Pokémon.

Dusknoir pulled back its now flaming fist as it prepared to punch, but suddenly, two dark green vines came out from under the leaves around Bayleef's neck and wrapped around it wrist. Dusknoir struggled to continue its attack, but Bayleef's vines were just too strong.

"Now, throw it!" Ash ordered.

"Bay-eef!" Bayleef cried as it threw Dusknoir up into the air.

"Follow it up with Leaf Storm!" Ash said with passion in his eyes.

Bayleef's body suddenly became outlined by a light green glow. It then released a barrage of glowing green leaves from its body up at the opponent.

"Dusknoir, use Psychic to throw the leaves right back at it!" Leaf said loudly.

Dusknoir stopped immediately in mid-air and turned back towards its opponent. Its red eye then began to glow blue, and all of the leaves suddenly were outlined in the same color as its eye currently was. Dusknoir held out its hands in front of it, and the leaves began to fly back at their origin.

"Light Screen!" Ash yelled hastily.

Bayleef's eyes glowed yellow and a golden box surrounded its body. The leaves then rained down against it, not hurting the Grass-type much, thanks to the Light Screen.

"You forget, Ash. We can break through that as well!" Leaf said with a smirk. "Another Brick Break please!"

Dusknoir glided down towards Bayleef and struck the surface of the box with its fist. Cracks began to appear all over the box until it shattered completely.

"Now, finish it off with your Blizzard!" Leaf smiled.

Dusknoir's stomach mouth opened and released a close-range blizzard at its opponent. Bayleef screamed at the pain that the icy storm was causing it and eventually fell to the ground when it finally could take no more.

"Bayleef!" Ash shouted in fear.

"Bayleef is unable to battle!" The referee declared after examining Bayleef. "Dusknoir is the winner!"

* * *

><p>Up in the stands, three trainers looked down at the unconscious Bayleef in horror.<p>

"Whoa," Karl Seeger said with a shocked expression on his face. "Poor Bayleef. I battled with that Dusknoir. It didn't stand a chance."

"Well, I think it put up a pretty good fight, considering that Dusknoir's power," Trent commented, running his hand through his dreadlocks. "Blizzard is known as one of the most powerful Ice-type moves. To take a close-range Blizzard attack would knock just about any Pokémon out if it was that powerful."

"Still, you've got to wonder how that Ketchum kid is gonna stop that Dusknoir," Zen said with a contemplative look on his face.

All three of them nodded as they waited to see just how Ash would combat against the fearsome Gripper Pokémon.

* * *

><p>Ash ran over to Bayleef's body and helped it up off of the field.<p>

"Bay," Bayleef said sadly, ashamed for losing the battle that her trainer wanted her to win.

"It's okay, Bayleef," Ash said, trying to cheer her up. "You tried your best, and I'm proud of you for it. Why don't you take a good rest?"

Bayleef nodded before Ash held out her Pokéball and returned her back within its contents.

Ash then stood back up and glared at Leaf and her Dusknoir. Dusknoir seemed to be one of Leaf's more powerful Pokémon, but that wasn't going to stop him from winning.

"Gengar, I choose you!" He yelled as he threw a Pokéball at the field.

The ball spiraled through the air for a few seconds before it opened and released Gengar onto the field.

"Gen-gar!" Gengar said, comically waving at the cheering crowd.

"You ready, Gengar?" Ash asked the Shadow Pokémon.

Gengar nodded eagerly, remembering the delicious, fried potatoes that were waiting for him back at the Pokémon Center.

"Gengar versus Dusknoir! Let the battle begin!" The referee decreed.

"Gengar, use Shadow Ball!" Ash shouted.

Gengar's hands sparked up with blue electricity. It then put its hands together and formed a shadowy orb in between them. As it fired it at Dusknoir, it threw the ball like it would a baseball.

"Dusknoir, block it with Shadow Punch!" Leaf instructed.

A shadowy fist shot from Dusknoir's arm and struck the ball, causing it to explode upon contact.

Gengar was in disbelief. Frustrated, it threw another Shadow Ball at its opponent. Dusknoir simply launched another Shadow Punch at it, causing it to explode as well.

Steam seemed to shoot from Gengar's ears, and its eyes took on an even scarier red glow. Suddenly, Gengar was throwing Shadow Ball after Shadow Ball at its ghostly foe in hopes that one of them might hit.

"Dusknoir, just use Dark Pulse," Leaf said, amused by Gengar's tactics.

Dusknoir held its hands out in front of it and fired a beam of black-and-purple circles at each one of Gengar's Shadow Balls, destroying each one of them with ease.

"Gengar, let's try something else!" Ash advised. "Use Hypnosis!"

Gengar grinned and then put its hands out in front of it, releasing multiple black circles from them that expanded as they moved towards the Gripper Pokémon. Caught unawares, Dusknoir was hit by the black circles and immediately fell asleep.

"Oh, no!" Leaf sighed. "Why'd he have to use Hypnosis?"

"Now, use Dream Eater!" Ash said confidently.

Gengar then released a shadow-like version of itself at Dusknoir, and the copy soon went straight through the pure Ghost-type Pokémon.

Dusknoir woke up seconds later, shaking with intense pain. Gengar rubbed its stomach in front of it, mockingly licking its lips. Dusknoir began to get very angry at its Ghost/Poison-type opponent.

"Dusknoir, use Fire Punch!" Leaf commanded.

"Gengar, use Thunder Punch!" Ash yelled.

Dusknoir and Gengar both flew at each other with great speed, each one with a fist that was now cloaked in elemental energy. Then, as flaming fist struck shocking punch, sparks that emanated pure power flew all around them.

Finally, an explosion occurred, and the two ghosts were forced apart. Both of them were sent flying backwards across the field past their respectable trainers and into the walls.

Ash and Leaf both turned around to look at their Pokémon. Ash was happy to see that Gengar was okay, the latter standing back up and giving him a thumbs-up.

Leaf, however, was devastated to see that her Dusknoir had been knocked out cold. There was a swirl in its single red eye.

"Dusknoir is unable to battle! Gengar is the winner!" The referee proclaimed.

* * *

><p>"Yeah, Gengar, we did it!" Ash said happily, giving his Pokémon a high-five.<p>

"Gen-gar!" Gengar said, dancing happily in its victory over the powerful Ghost-type. Suddenly though, it froze in mid-air and then fell face forward to the ground. It was completely exhausted.

The referee noticed this and said to the crowd, "Gengar is unable to battle!"

Ash was shocked at first, but then, a sad smile appeared on his face. He took out his Pokéball, and a red beam of light shot from it caused the comedic ghost to disappear after its body was engulfed in a red glow.

"You did awesome, Gengar," Ash whispered to his Pokémon within the ball.

Ash then turned around to face Leaf. Both of them glared at each other, knowing that the true battle was about to begin.

* * *

><p>"I don't think I've ever seen two trainers battle this hard before," Infierno said in awe.<p>

"It's like they're completely in sync with each other," Sierra commented.

The others all nodded, Kaze glaring down at the battle with intense focus while Crystal watched the battle with excitement. Hikari was excited as well, but then looked up at Ryan with a confused look on her face.

"Ryan?" She asked the tall, brooding man, who looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"

"Their auras," Ryan said in a whisper. "There seems to be a strong concentration of intense power around them."

The others stared back at him in confusion. But as Ryan looked at the two finalists, he could see glowing around each of them, resembling the glow that came from Overgrow and Blaze.

* * *

><p>At the exact same time, both Ash and Leaf grabbed a Pokéball and threw it up into the air, yelling, "Charizard, I choose youIt's time to shine, Venusaur!"

In a burst of blinding blue light, the two powerful fully-evolved Kanto starters appeared upon the battlefield. They both let out a loud and angry roar when they noticed each other. The crowd immediately went into awe.

* * *

><p>"This…is…AWESOME!" Walker said as he witnessed both Pokémon appear on the field. "I can't believe we get to see Ash's Charizard face Leaf's Venusaur in battle!"<p>

"You know, this reminds me of Ash's battle with Gary…," Misty said reminiscently.

"You mean the one in the Silver Conference with Ash's Charizard and Gary's Blastoise?" Max asked excitedly.

Gary smirked and nodded, saying, "Yeah. That was one of the most intense battles I've ever had with Ash. Something tells me that this battle will be similar."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a few other trainers were impressed by the sheer power that emanated from the two Pokémon by their presence alone.<p>

"Man, do those two look powerful," Sean, who was still wearing his red jacket, gray pants, and brown shoes said with wide eyes.

"Huh, the two Kanto starters that I don't have," Fermin said contemplatively. "This'll be interesting."

Joe, who was sitting beside them, was busily typing on his laptop, analyzing the stats on these two Pokémon.

Mario looked at him and sighed before saying, "Dude, analyzing them is not going to help. The only way that we'll be able to see who wins is to watch them battle."

The others nodded and they then turned their gaze back to the battlefield.

* * *

><p>After the referee finally got over how powerful these two Pokémon were, he proclaimed, "Charizard versus Venusaur! Begin!"<p>

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash commanded.

Charizard flew up into the air, opened its mouth, and then released a red-orange stream of flame from its mouth at its Grass/Poison-type opponent.

"Venusaur, use Seed Bomb!" Leaf ordered.

Venusaur opened its mouth and a white orb could be seen inside of it. It then fired multiple glowing white seeds from its mouth at Charizard's attack. Both attacks exploded upon contact.

Charizard then came back down to the ground and started to growl angrily at Venusaur.

"Venusaur, show them your Double-Edge!" Leaf instructed.

Venusaur began to rush towards Charizard with a yellow trail of energy following it as it ran.

"Charizard, use Steel Wing!" Ash directed.

Charizard took flight and began to glide towards its opponent with wings glowing like metal.

It was almost like a Pokémon joust as the two of them headed straight for each other. Soon enough, they both slammed into each other. Neither one moved as they struggled against one another.

Finally, they broke apart and after skidding back several feet, both of them looked eager for more.

"Charizard, let's use Seismic Toss!" Ash called out.

Charizard hovered over towards Venusaur and grabbed it. It then began to attempt to lift Venusaur into the air, but due to the latter's weight, it was to no avail.

"Venusaur, grab it using Vine Whip!" Leaf told her Pokémon.

Several dark green vines came out from under the leaves on Venusaur's back and lashed around Charizard's limbs. Charizard frantically tried to move, but it was unable to even budge.

"Now, hit it with a Leaf Storm!" Leaf yelled.

Much to Ash's horror, Venusaur's leaves began to glow a bright light green glow. It then released a powerful, close-range cyclone of glowing leaves at its opponent.

Charizard roared out in pain as each of the many leaves slashed against its skin.

"Charizard! You've got to break out using Overheat!" Ash shouted.

As much as the Flame Pokémon struggled against Venusaur's attack, it managed to turn its head towards it and release a blast of white fire with a red-orange flame spiraling around it out of its mouth at the Grass/Poison-type.

"Saur!" Venusaur grunted in pain. In the end, it was forced to let go of Charizard in order to avoid any more damage.

While Venusaur stumbled back in its pain, Charizard flew back to its side of the field. Several beads of sweat dripped down its forehead as it breathed heavily.

* * *

><p>At this point of time, Alex Von Kizvard was staring at the battlefield inquisitively.<p>

'_Hmm. These two Pok__é__mon are quite powerful_,' He thought to himself while sneering. '_I may just have to get Aunt J to get them for me_.'

Just as an evil grin was appearing on his face at this thought, Alex was suddenly knocked over by three other people that suddenly ran by.

"Sorry!" Yamagi Ishida said with an apologetic look on his face.

"Yeah, man! Sorry about that!" Mike Carson nodded as they kept running.

"I'm not sorry!" Dark Williams said with a grin on his face.

While the three of them continued to run back to their seats, Alex laid on the ground, groaning in his pain.

* * *

><p>Back on the battlefield, Venusaur had finally stopped stumbling and now scowled at its FireFlying-type opponent.

"Venusaur, use Sludge Bomb!" Leaf cried out.

The flower on Venusaur's back began to take on a light purple glow. It then fired a purple orb of sludge high up into the air, where it began to make its descent down to its target.

"Charizard, stop it with Dragon Rage!" Ash ordered.

Charizard's eyes glowed white and the flame on its tail grew to a huge size. A ball of fire then formed in its mouth and Charizard fired it up at Venusaur's attack.

As the two attacks collided, the sludge caught fire, causing it to explode in mid-air. A thick layer of black smoke began to cover the entire battle field.

"Charizard, clear the area with Air Slash!" Ash instructed.

A light blue glow began to emanate throughout the entire stadium. Suddenly, a mighty gust of wind blew away all of the smoke completely.

Everyone looked down at Charizard in shock. It had only taken a single flap of its wings to accomplish this feat.

"Now, hit Venusaur with a Mega Punch!" Ash hollered out.

Charizard started to fly straight towards Venusaur with a fist cloaked in a bright white aura.

"Venusaur, use Leech Seed!" Leaf told her Pokémon.

A seed sprouted from Venusaur's bulb and then it shot out at Charizard. As the seed hit it, vines sprouted from it. The vines began to wrap around the Fire/Flying-type's body, restraining it completely and stopping it in its tracks.

"Aw, great," Ash muttered with scorn in his voice as the seed began to take effect.

The vines began to glow red as they sucked energy out of Charizard. Charizard grumbled in pain its energy was sapped.

'_Gotta get those vines off_,' Ash thought. "Charizard, use Fire Spin on yourself!"

The entire crowd gasped when they heard Ash say this command.

Charizard grunted and then, after some struggling, it opened it mouth and released a stream of flame from its mouth that began to spiral around it. As it did, the vines began to incinerate until Charizard was finally able to break out of its ensnarement.

"Alright! Now, use Fire Blast!" Ash commanded.

"Venusaur, use Solarbeam!" Leaf said with fire in her eyes.

Both Pokémon began to build up their attacks until they both fired their attacks at each other; Charizard's a powerful five-pointed blast of fire and Venusaur's an intense beam of solar energy.

The two attacks collided and a large explosion occurred, resulting in yet another fog of black smoke. This time, however, the smoke cleared on its own to reveal the two Kanto starters, both panting heavily.

* * *

><p>"They're both still standing after that?" Dawn said in utter disbelief.<p>

Gavin nodded. "Both of them are extremely powerful, but I don't think that either one can take much more of this."

"Pika," Pikachu said with worry on his face.

* * *

><p>Ash and Leaf both looked at their Pokémon with great worry. There was no doubt that the two of them were equals, but in the same way, they both only had one attack left in them.<p>

Then, suddenly, both of them lit up in a blinding lights of red and green. The crowd gasped in awe. It was like Christmas, but on fire.

"It can't be…," Leaf said, completely stunned at the sight.

"Whoa," Ash's mouth was gapping almost as far as it did when he saw May in that one bikini.

* * *

><p>"Overgrow?" Cilan started.<p>

"And Blaze?" Iris stammered.

"AT THE SAME TIME?" The others finished, all completely shocked.

* * *

><p>As the glowing finally faded, Ash and Leaf stared at each other, both bewildered after the sight of both of their Pokémon's abilities activating at the same time.<p>

"Okay, then," Leaf said, still a bit surprised. "Are you ready, Ash?"

Ash nodded and replied, "Let's do it."

They both then pointed towards each other's Pokémon and yelled, "USE FRENZY PLANT/BLAST BURN!"

Venusaur's body became outlined in a light green glow and it then stomped into the ground. Suddenly, giant roots covered in spikes burst from the ground and began to head straight towards its opponent.

Charizard's eyes began to glow red and a fiery red aura appeared around its body. The flame on its tail grew extremely large and flames started to spiral around it. It opened its mouth and released a large and powerful cyclone of flame at its Grass/Poison-type foe.

Both attacks hit their mark, causing a huge explosion of dust to cover the entire field and both Pokémon to yell out in pain.

As the dust cleared, both Pokémon were still standing before they fell to the ground at exactly the same time. The two Kanto starters were now both completely unconscious.

"Neither Pokémon is able to battle! This sub-match is pronounced a tie!" The referee decided.

* * *

><p>As the crowd gaped at the sight of this sub-match's outcome, three trainers in the stands were shocked as well.<p>

"Both of them were knocked out by each other's attacks," Josh Prigmore said with a surprised look on his face.

"I never thought that they would knock each other out," Mike McHarrot commented, still shaking from the intensity of the battle.

"I am so glad that I didn't have to face either one of them," Blake said, completely relieved.

Meanwhile, a lone figure stood on the stairs, gazing at the battlefield. It was a female trainer with light blue hair and lavender-colored eyes, wearing a long white jacket over a purple sleeveless shirt, white dress pants, high-heeled white boots, and white gloves.

Tara's face showed no emotion as she watched the battle below.

* * *

><p>"Wait, I just realized something," Max said with an inquisitive look on his face.<p>

The others stared at him, waiting for him to say something, but after several seconds, they all began to sweat drop when he didn't answer.

"ARE YOU JUST GONNA SIT THERE OR ARE YOU GONNA TELL US?" May yelled. Her head seemed larger and angrier as she snarled at her little brother.

"AHH! Okay, I'll tell you!" Max said, putting his hands out in front of him for protection. Finally, after his sister calmed down, Max got ready to answer them.

"Well, Leaf has two Pokémon left while Ash only has one," Max said, seeming like a detective in the way he spoke. "However, it's seems like Ash has been saving this one for some reason. Like it's some kind of big secret."

The others began to chuckle, but then stopped when they realized that Max's theory made a whole lot of sense.

"But then, who could it be?" Dawn wondered.

Suddenly, the entire group heard two voices snickering. They looked down to see both Pikachu and Meowth trying to suppress their laughter.

"So he told you, huh?" May said with a sly grin. "Well, I know three ways to get the info out of you."

She then looked at Dawn and they both nodded. May then took out two Pokéballs and Dawn took out one. They then pushed the buttons on the front of the devices.

In a flash of light, Glaceon and Buneary appeared beside Pikachu, who immediately was nervous and uneasy. Beside Meowth on the other hand, was a small, pink feline-like Pokémon who said happily, "Nyah!"

"Oh, come on!" Meowth said, looking even more freaked out than Pikachu.

* * *

><p>Both of the trainers returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs and prepared for the next match. Ash knew that if he loses this one, it's all over.<p>

"It's time to shine, Dragonite!" Leaf said as she tossed a Pokéball into the air.

Instantly, the Dragon Pokémon reappeared onto the field in front of her, looking just as powerful as ever. Surprisingly, Ash smiled at the sight of the dragon and then looked down at the Pokéball that he held in his hand.

"It's more like _your_ time to shine, my friend," Ash said to the Pokémon inside of it. "Good luck."

He then threw the ball into the air and yelled, "Okay, I choose you!"

In a bursting flash of blue light, a large terracotta-colored crocodile-like creature appeared onto the field. It had gray-black stripes around its stomach, arms, tail, and snout. Each one of its feet was black and it had three claws on each of them. Its hands had three fingers that ended in a claw on each one. Around its eyes, there was a black area resembling a bandit's mask, and it had a periwinkle-colored belly.

The most remarkable thing about this Pokémon, however, was that it wore a pair of sunglasses with red frames and blue lenses.

"Krook-o-dile!" It roared while crossing its arms coolly.

* * *

><p>"ASH HAS A KROOKODILE?" Everyone in the group but Pikachu, Meowth, Iris, and Cilan cried out in disbelief.<p>

"Yeah, he caught it when we were traveling in Unova," Iris said nonchalantly.

"But he left it with Professor Juniper for some special training," Cilan explained.

The others looked at them in shock, and were all wondering the same thing: Why was it wearing sunglasses?

* * *

><p>Ash grinned at his Pokémon who was showing off its cool nature to the entire crowd. Meanwhile, a shaking Leaf took out her Pokédex and scanned Ash's newly revealed Pokémon.<p>

"_Krookodile, the Intimidation Pok__é__mon and the evolved-form of Krokorok. It can expand the focus of its eyes, enabling it to see objects in the far distance as if it were using binoculars. Their jaws are so powerful that they can crush the body of an automobile._"

Leaf looked up at Krookodile, who showed no emotion on its face. What kind of opponent was this?

"Krookodile versus Dragonite! Begin!" The referee told the two trainers.

"Dragonite, use Aqua Tail!" Leaf commanded.

A stream of water spiraled around the dragon's tail as it started to fly towards its opponent.

"Krookodile, use Sandstorm!" Ash ordered.

One of Krookodile's claws began to glow a golden white, and it held the claw out in front of it. A golden white beam was then shot from it at the ground, creating a sandstorm that spiraled directly towards Dragonite.

Dragonite stopped in shock and was then struck in the chest by the sandstorm, which sent it flying down towards the ground.

"Follow it up with Beat Up!" Ash continued.

Just as Dragonite stood up, Krookodile appeared beside it. Krookodile then began punching it multiple times in the gut, causing Dragonite to be knocked back several yards.

"Now, finish it off with Dragon Claw!" Ash shouted.

Before anyone could even blink, Krookodile slashed Dragonite in the stomach with a glowing blue claw. It snorted as Dragonite fell face forward to the ground.

"Dragonite is unable to battle! Krookodile is the winner!" The referee said while pointing his flag at Krookodile.

Krookodile grunted and turned its head, seeming like could care less.

Ash smirked as his Krookodile acted like it didn't care about the win. He knew that it loved to battle just as much as any of his other Pokémon.

Meanwhile, Leaf was in shock as she returned her Pokémon to its ball. She then looked at Krookodile and realized that it would take a whole lot to take this particular Pokémon down. But that's what made it more fun.

"It's time to shine, Blaziken!" She cried out as she threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, the Blaze Pokémon appeared onto the field, its wrists bursting into flames.

Ash raised an eyebrow. He hadn't seen this Pokémon battle yet. A new challenge.

"Krookodile versus Blaziken! Let the final battle begin!" The referee said to the crowd.

"Blaziken, use Brick Break!" Leaf hollered out.

With surprisingly high speed, Blaziken ran down the field towards Krookodile with glowing white claws. Then, before Krookodile could react, Blaziken struck it twice in the stomach, causing it to keel over.

Strangely, a small _crack_ sound was heard from the ground.

"Uh oh," Ash said with sudden fear. "This is not good."

As Krookodile stood back up, it snorted sand out of its snout and looked at its shades, which had been broken by the fall. It threw them off and then glared at Blaziken with intense hatred.

"Oh, great," Ash sighed. "I guess this is the part where it doesn't listen to me."

Krookodile growled at Blaziken and then jumped at it with a shadowy claw.

* * *

><p>"Uh, what's going on?" May asked.<p>

Iris sighed and said, "It's been like this ever since Krookodile evolved from a Krokorok."

"Whenever its shades are broken, it goes into an unstoppable rage in which it doesn't listen to Ash's commands," Cilan nodded.

The others were surprised at this information and continued to watch the two Pokémon battle it out.

* * *

><p>After ten minutes, both Pokémon were breathing heavily and they felt like they could fall over at any second.<p>

"This is the last attack," Leaf said with a smile. "Make it count."

Krookodile raised one arm into the air and sent barrage of sharp stones out at its opponent.

"Blaziken, use Sky Uppercut!" Leaf commanded.

Blaziken jumped and dodged the stones with ease. Then, it ran towards Krookodile and uppercut it with a glowing blue fist.

Krookodile was flipped and sent falling to the ground. It landed right next to its broken shades, and as it hit the ground, it was instantly knocked out.

"Krookodile is unable to battle! Blaziken is the winner! The victory goes to Leaf, the new Kafue Town Battle Tournament Champion!" The referee announced.

* * *

><p>The crowd broke out into a cheering frenzy. As they cheered, Ash walked over to his Pokémon, picked up the broken shades, and smiled.<p>

"You did well," Ash said as he put the shades in his pocket. "I thought I'd give you these as a welcoming gift."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of shades that were exactly like the old ones, but slightly larger to better fit the desert crocodile. And the best part? Unbreakable.

Ash then returned the Pokémon to its ball and reattached the device to his belt. He suddenly heard footsteps and looked up to see Leaf standing next to him.

"That was a great battle, Ash," Leaf said, looking a bit unsure of herself. "You're certainly not the same kid that I knew back in Pallet Town."

Ash surprised her by holding out his hand and saying, "Thanks, but you deserved this win. My Pokémon and I fought our hardest, but you won in the end. Congratulations."

Leaf's cheeks tinged pink slightly before she finally took his hand. They then shook hands, as friends always do.

* * *

><p>Hours later, the awards ceremony was held. All of the other competitors each stood on the battlefield with a single Pokémon beside each one of them while they watched the winners stand before them.<p>

The four winners stood on a stand, much like one you would see at a major competition with several steps at varying heights.

At the bottom were Gavin and Walker, who were both vying for room on the platform. Both of them were wearing bronze medals. Finally after a lot of pushing, Gavin and Pichu managed to knock Walker and Aipom off to the ground.

Ash was on the other side at the middle height, wearing a silver medal. He, Pikachu, and Meowth were doing peace signs proudly.

At the top was Leaf with Jigglypuff, who had been told not to sing for the crowd. Leaf wore a gold medal, and in her arms was her prize: a case containing a complete set of elemental stones.

"Thank you for coming to our tournament!" Mr. Battrio said to the crowd. "I hope you enjoyed the festivities, and now, I wish you all a good night!"

* * *

><p>The next morning, the group got up early in order to get out of there before there was too much traffic. As they stepped outside, however, they were surprised to see Leaf and Walker there, waiting for them.<p>

"Leaf? Walker? What are you guys doing up?" Ash asked.

"I'm coming with you," Leaf said with a smile. "It'll be nice to actually travel with you for once."

The other girls all squealed, happy that they finally had another girl in the group. Everyone then looked over at Walker, who chuckled and said, "I just wanted to wish you guys luck. Maybe we'll see each other again."

"Yeah," Gavin said with a sigh. "Maybe." He didn't like the sound of that one bit.

"Well, I guess I'm off," Walker said with a wave. "It's a tough life being a…"

He didn't get to finish, as Gavin chose that moment to strike him on the head.

"OUCH!" Walker yelled in pain. "What was that for?"

Gavin glared at him angrily until Walker finally understood the mistake that he had almost made.

"Anyways," He said before running over to the girls. "If you ladies want to give me your numbers, you can call me in case that it doesn't work out with these guys."

The girls were all mortified. How could he say such a thing? However, it was Gavin who came to their rescue as he said, "The only number that you need to know is…FORE!"

He suddenly struck Walker in the behind with Misty's mallet, sending him flying through the air faster than Team Rocket.

"I'LL BE BACK SOMEDAY!" Walker's shouts could be heard as he disappeared into a glint of white light.

Aipom, who was still there at the time, giggled at its trainer's misfortune. However, it didn't notice Pichu come up behind it.

"Piiiiiiiiiichuuuuuu!" Pichu cried out as it launched a yellow bolt of electricity at it. The power of the attack was just enough to send it flying after its master.

"AIIIIIPOMMMM!" Aipom screeched as it followed Walker's path out of there.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 41: "The Journey Resumes! Solosis's Psychic Power!"<span>_- As our heroes start to get on their way to the next town, they run into a pack of rogue Psychic Pokémon led by an extremely powerful Reuniclus in the Kafue Forest. They are attacked, and are all split up throughout the forest. Can they find their way out? Stay tuned!

**FINALLY! I FINALLY FINISHED THE TOURNAMENT! AFTER 4 MONTHS, I FINALLY FINISHED IT! *Wipes tear from eye***** I promised myself I wouldn't cry.**

**What's really funny is that I finished this tournament the same night that The Shiny Gengar finished his story, "Fiercer Than A Legendary." As a tribute to this, some of you who have read his story will notice a certain reference to his story. Can you find it? And if you've never read his story, read it now!  
><strong>

**Sorry to everyone that Ash didn't win. I just felt that he really didn't need to win _everything_. Now, not saying I'm gonna make him lose all of the time. **

**Now, a special thanks to everyone who submitted an OC! You guys are awesome! Thank you! Even if some of you have stopped reviewing! Even after all of this, I can't wait for the sequel!**

**More news: in five chapters, I'm starting my movie fanfic, "Kyurem and the Hero's Sword!" Now, it'll be a bit more difficult thanks to the reveal of Kyurem's new forms, Black Kyurem and White Kyurem, plus the reveal of the new games, Pokemon Black 2 and White 2. However, I think I've got an idea on how to still write it well.  
><strong>

**Okay, so that's it for this chapter! Read and review! Hope ya liked it!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Hey, guys! Here's the new chapter! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 41: "The Journey Resumes! Solosis's Psychic Power!"_

It was quite peaceful throughout the large area of trees in the Kafue Forest as our heroes traveled along the forest pathway through it.

Now that the tournament was over, everyone, including the group's newest member, Leaf, seemed eager to begin traveling again. Everyone that is, except for Gavin.

As the brown-eyed trainer walked past trees filled with all kinds of forest Pokémon, only anxiety seemed to flow through his thoughts.

* * *

><p>(Flashback- 12 hours ago back in the Kafue Town Pokémon Center)<p>

_ It was the middle of the night as Gavin and Walker sat in the almost empty lobby of the Kafue Town Pok__é__mon Center. Having left their Pok__é__mon back in the room, the two of them were now all alone, both with tense looks on their faces._

"_Gavin, before we part ways for a little while, _they _wanted me to tell you that Team Umbra is already making plans to go after the next crystal," Walker said in a hushed tone._

_ "Are you serious?" Gavin exclaimed as quiet as he could. "Where?"_

_ "In Noctae City, just two towns over," Walker explained._

_ "So _they _want me to try to stop them?" Gavin asked._

_ Walker nodded. "It's imperative that we stop them from getting all three crystals at all costs. We don't know what they're going to do with them, but it doesn't sound good."_

_ "Gotcha. Now, were you able to get me any information on them?" Gavin inquired._

_ "Yeah, check this out," Walker said as he pulled out a laptop from his bag. After clicking a bunch of buttons, a bio pulled up with a picture of a man with cropped black hair and green eyes, wearing a black trench coat and fedora. _

_ "This is the guy you ran into on that sub. His name is Nebula, and he's one of Team Umbra's three generals. You were lucky that he didn't bring out his primary partner, Tyranitar. That thing is supposed to be extremely strong."_

_ "Did you get any information on the other two?" Gavin questioned hopefully._

_ Walker shook his head sadly. "This was all of the data that our spy was able to get. And I expect that it will be a different general that will go after the next crystal._

_ "Gavin, there's something about this that I don't like. That fog you told me about seems to be pure dark energy. It's almost like it was made from darkness. Is that even possible?"_

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>Was it even possible? A black fog made from darkness. And those crystals, what were they for? What was Team Umbra's ultimate goal?<p>

Gavin continued to think this over until his train of thought was broken by a loud growling sound.

"Wh-what was that?" Max said, trembling.

They all looked around for the source of the growling until they heard again in the middle of them.

"ASH! How can you possibly be hungry already?" Misty asked with an annoyed look on her face.

"Hey, it's not my fault! I didn't get much to eat this morning after we were ambushed by all of those fan girls!" Ash retorted. After he finished his statement, his stomach moaned for nourishment once again.

"Hey, why don't we go ahead and stop for lunch?" Brock suggested.

Everyone agreed and they all then went over to a nearby clearing to set up for lunch. Little did they know that someone was watching them…

* * *

><p>Immediately, Brock and Cilan had gotten to work on lunch while the others had let out their Pokémon so that they could enjoy the meal as well. Eventually, lunch was finished, and everyone began to eat.<p>

"Great as always, Brock and Cilan!" Ash said as he munched down upon yet another sandwich.

"Thank you, Ash," Brock and Cilan replied, almost completely in sync.

"Mmm, this is so good!" May squealed.

Everyone was enjoying the wonderful lunch of soup and sandwiches, especially Ash, but Gavin still felt too troubled to eat.

"Gavin, what's wrong?" Dawn asked.

"Oh, nothing," Gavin answered, putting on his best attempt at a smile.

Dawn looked at him in worry, but suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes.

"Pika!" Pikachu growled as he got down on all fours in defense, sparks dancing across his cheeks.

The rustling got louder and louder until all of the sudden, a creature burst out of the bushes.

"AHHHHHHH!" All of them screamed with closed eyes until they felt the courage to open their eyes.

What they saw gave them a bit of a surprise. It was a small, floating, green blob-like creature with a pale green center that contained dot-like dark eyes, a red diamond shape that was like a mouth, and a small, swirled yellow growth.

"So-lo-sis!" It said in a high-pitched voice.

"What…is…that?" Leaf stammered in a shocked tone.

"It's a Solosis!" Cilan exclaimed.

"A Solosis?" Misty repeated with a confused look on her face.

Max took out his Pokédex and scanned the strange Pokémon.

"_Solosis, the Cell Pok__é__mon. Because their bodies are enveloped in a special fluid, they can survive in any environment. They use their psychic power to drive away attackers and they are able to communicate with others with their telepathic abilities._"

"I've heard about them from Professor Oak," Tracey remembered. "It's a Psychic-type Pokémon normally found in the Unova Region."

As the small, green blob floated around them, Pikachu, Pichu, Piplup, Meowth, and all of the other Pokémon stared up at it in wonder.

Suddenly, Solosis floated over towards Dawn, who flinched at first as the Psychic-type began to analyze her.

"Uh, what's it doing?" Dawn whimpered nervously.

"I think it likes you," Gary chuckled. He continued to laugh until he got a severe glare from Leaf.

Finally, Dawn worked up enough courage to hold a hand out to the Cell Pokémon, who immediately began to rub its head up against her palm.

"So-lo," It purred happily.

"Wow! It really does like you, Dawn!" May cried out excitedly.

Dawn looked at the small Pokémon for a moment and then smiled.

"Well, it is kind of cute," She admitted.

Solosis happily began flying around her head, causing Dawn and the others to laugh. However, out of nowhere, a wavy multicolored beam of energy was blasted at them. Luckily, everyone was just barely able to dodge it in time.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Max yelled.

They all turned their heads to see a large and floating green blob that looked similar to Solosis glaring angrily at them. All around it were a bunch of other Solosis and medium-sized green blobs. They all looked extremely angry.

"Whoa, what are they?" Leaf thought out loud.

Ash and May quickly pulled out their Pokédexes to answer the Kanto trainer's query.

"_Duosion, the Mitosis Pok__é__mon and the evolved form of Solosis. Since they have two divided brains, when they are thinking the same thoughts, they exhibit their maximum power._"

"_Reuniclus, the Multiplying Pok__é__mon and the evolved form of Duosion. These remarkably intelligent Pok__é__mon fight by controlling arms that can grip with rock-crushing power. When they shake hands, a network forms between their brains, increasing their psychic power._"

"They sound like pretty powerful Pokémon," Misty said nervously.

"That Reuniclus must be their leader," Brock said as they all looked at the angry-looking Multiplying Pokémon.

"Re-un-i-clus!" It said angrily. Its eyes began to glow a psychic blue.

"Hey, Meowth, could you translate for us?" Ash asked the Scratch Cat Pokémon.

"Right!" Meowth said, giving his trainer a salute. He then walked about halfway towards the looming Solosis, Duosion, and their Reuniclus leader to begin negotiating.

"Hey, pals, where's the fire? We're just a small group o' travelers stoppin' to get a bite to eat before we continue our long journey," Meowth said calmly in the face of the dangerous-looking Psychic-types. "We don't want to cause any trouble."

"Re-un-i-clus-clus-re-un!" Reuniclus said in a harsh tone.

"You say that we're trespassing upon your land?" Meowth repeated so that the entire group could understand.

Reuniclus nodded and then continued. "Clus-re-un-i-clus-clus-re!"

"Gah!" Meowth yelped. Several beads of sweat were now running down his brow.

"What'd it say, Meowth?" Brock inquired.

Meowth gulped and turned around slowly before translating.

"It says that if we don't clear out in the now, they're gonna attack!"

Everyone gasped as Meowth finished his translation.

"Hang on!" Ash burst out. "We were just…"

But before Ash could say anything else, Reuniclus and its army of Duosion and Solosis began firing multiple wavy multicolored beams of energy at the teens and their Pokémon. As the attacks hit the ground and they all took off running in different directions, a thick fog of black smoke started to cloud up the air.

* * *

><p>Ash coughed as he struggled to breathe due to the black smoke polluting the air. Seconds later, the smoke finally cleared and he looked around to see that only May, Pikachu, and their other Pokémon were there.<p>

"Hey, where did everybody go?" May asked, looking a bit worried.

"I don't know," Ash answered, looking around for any sign of their friends.

"Pika," Pikachu said sadly. The Electric Mouse Pokémon then climbed up onto his trainer's shoulder as the raven-haired teen continued to look around.

"We must have all run off in different directions when those Pokémon attacked," Ash concluded. "We might as well go to try and find them."

"Right," May nodded. With that, the two returned all of their Pokémon to their Pokéballs. Wait a minute. Isn't someone missing?

"Hey, where's Meowth?" Ash thought out loud.

* * *

><p>"Ugh, why am I always getting lost with you two?" Meowth groaned as he walked through the forest with the two teens.<p>

"Hey, it's not our fault that you followed us when we were all running," Max retorted. "Besides, if you weren't so slow, you would've actually been able to keep up with your own trainer."

"What was that, you little…," Meowth began, pulling out his claws.

"Come on, guys. Let's try to get along," Brock said as he tried to calm the two of them down.

"Brock, how are we going to even find the others?" Max inquired.

"Hmm," Brock murmured as he went deep into thought. Suddenly, his eyes widened (or at least looked less squinty) as an idea entered his head.

"Max, why don't you use your Masquerain to try and find the others?" Brock suggested.

Max grinned. "Gotcha. Masquerain, time to fly!"

In a flash of light, the Eyeball Pokémon appeared and then took off into the air.

'_Well, hopefully the others haven't gotten themselves in too much trouble_,' Brock thought optimistically.

* * *

><p>"Weavile, use Dark Pulse!" Gavin commanded.<p>

"Wea-vile!" Weavile cried out as held out its hands and fired a beam of black-and-purple circles out at the fuzzy blue bats that were attacking.

As Dawn and Gavin ran from all of the many Woobat and Swoobat that were attacking them, along with Pichu, Piplup, and Weavile, things did not look good for them, especially when Dawn suddenly tripped over an upturned tree branch.

"Ouch!" Dawn groaned in pain as she hit the ground.

Gavin immediately skidded to a stop and ran over to the blunette's side.

"Are you okay?" He asked as helped her up.

"I think so," Dawn said. Gavin immediately threw her arm over his shoulder to help her walk, when all of the sudden, the Swoobat and Woobat got ready to attack once again.

"Pichu, use Volt Tackle and Piplup, use Hydro Pump," Gavin told the two partner Pokémon.

Pichu and Piplup both nodded and then Pichu began to run towards the Psychic/Flying-types. As it ran, yellow electricity surrounded its body, making it look black-and-white. Next, Piplup opened its beak and fired a powerful stream of water after it. The stream swirled around Pichu's attack until the two combined to create a Hydro Volt Tackle. With that, Pichu jumped and slammed into all of the Woobat and Swoobat, who immediately fled.

Pichu, Piplup, and Weavile heavily panted as their enemies disappeared from sight. Though the threat was gone, they were still unable to relax.

"Good job, guys," Gavin said to the three of them. He then took out a Pokéball and recalled Weavile back into it.

Suddenly, Dawn moaned and started to fall to the ground. It took all of Gavin's strength to keep her steady.

"Come on, let's get you somewhere where you can rest that leg," He said comfortingly.

Together, they walked over to a nearby tree and Gavin carefully laid her against it. Dawn struggled to get up, but Gavin stopped her.

"Your leg is sprained, Dawn. You have to rest," Gavin said with a serious look on his face.

"But we've got to find the others," Dawn pleaded.

"And we will," Gavin promised. "But for now, rest."

Dawn nodded and started to relax as she rested against the tree. Soon after, Gavin took out a medical kit from his bag and began to wrap her leg in bandages.

"I never knew that you were so good with injuries," Dawn said, causing the brown-haired trainer to look up.

"Well, I learned from experience," Gavin chuckled sheepishly. "You wouldn't believe how many messes I got myself into throughout my journeys.

"Now, we need a Pokémon that knows Heal Bell. I think my Leafeon should be able to do the trick."

He then pulled out a Pokéball and threw it up into the air. In a flash of light, the Verdant Pokémon appeared.

"Lea-feon," Leafeon said as she walked up to her trainer.

"Leafeon, I need you to use Heal Bell on Dawn's leg," Gavin told the Grass-type. "Can you do that for me?"

"Leaf," Leafeon said with a nod. She then walked over to Dawn and placed a paw on her bandaged-up leg. She then closed her eyes and waves of blue-green energy that made bell-like sounds came off of its body, going into Dawn's leg.

"There, that should do it," Gavin said proudly. "Great work, Leafeon."

"Thank you, Leafeon," Dawn gratefully said to her.

"Leaf," Leafeon replied, smiling with pride.

After that, Gavin returned Leafeon to its Pokéball and sighed. "I hope the others are doing better than us."

* * *

><p>"AHHHH!" Misty screamed as she and Tracey ran from a pack of bluish-green, circular, floating disc-like Pokémon.<p>

"Bron-zor," All of them murmured as they fired multiple waves of golden light at them.

They past tree after tree as the Bronzor chased after them. After the smoke had cleared, the two of them had found themselves alone before running into these angry Bronzor.

"What do we do?" Misty called out to the Pokémon sketcher running beside her.

"I think I've got an idea," Tracey said as he took two Pokéballs out. "Scyther, Smeargle, I could use some help!"

Instantly, the Mantis Pokémon and the Painter Pokémon appeared behind them.

Tracey stopped, turned around, and yelled, "Scyther, stop them with Vacuum Wave and Smeargle, you use Blast Burn!"

"Scy-ther!" Scyther cried out as it slashed at the air, sending a white, horizontal tornado out at the Steel/Psychic-type Pokémon, blowing a good amount of them away.

"Smear-gle!" Smeargle shouted as it opened its mouth and released an intense blast of fire out at the Bronze Pokémon, engulfing many of them in flames. However, there were still a large amount of them left.

"Golduck, Staryu, and Azurill! Come on out and use Water Gun!" Misty said as she threw three Pokéballs into the air.

"You, too, Marill!" Tracey added as he sent out his Water-type.

All four of the Water-type Pokémon appeared out in front of them and fired four streams of water at the enemy, now sending them all flying. The Bronzor who had been hit all flew away at this point.

Finally, once all of the Bronzor were gone, Tracey and Misty stopped to take a breather.

"I think…that's…the last of them," Tracey said, panting heavily.

"Good, now we can…watch out!" Misty shouted.

Suddenly, a silvery beam of energy was heading straight towards them. Just as it looked like it was about to hit Misty, Tracey quickly tackled her to the ground, just barely avoiding the blast.

As they looked up, they saw a large, blue-green bell-like creature with two arms coming out of its sides, eyes at the bottom of its hollow body, and a yoke attached to the top.

"It's a Bronzong!" Misty exclaimed.

"Scyther, use Fury Cutter!" Tracey ordered.

Scyther flew at Bronzong with glowing red scythes and slashed at it twice with both of them. Bronzong was knocked backwards several feet before it got back up into the air and immediately flew off in fright.

Misty looked up at Tracey, who was still on top of her. The sketcher was currently glaring towards the direction where Bronzong had flown off. She had never known him to be this brave. And when he tackled her to the ground in order to save her…

"Misty?" She looked up to see Tracey staring at her with a worried look on his face. Immediately, a pink tinge appeared on her face. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah," She said quickly, trying to avert him from noticing her blush. "We…we'd better get moving."

"Right," He nodded before standing back up. He reached out a hand to help her up. Misty hesitated, her blush deepening, but eventually took it. They both then recalled all of their Pokémon with the exception of Marill and Azurill.

"Okay, let's go," Tracey said determinately.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a long distance away, Gary and Leaf were practically fighting for their lives against a particularly powerful Solrock and Lunatone.<p>

"Umbreon, use Shadow Ball on Solrock!" Gary directed.

"Bre!" Umbreon barked before jumping up into the air and firing a shadowy orb from his mouth at the sun-shaped floating rock creature.

"Sol-rock!" Solrock said as it fired a yellow beam of solar energy at Umbreon's attack. The two attacks collided and exploded in mid-air.

"Espeon, use Swift!" Leaf instructed.

The lavender-colored cat-like Pokémon in front of her nodded and opened her mouth, releasing a barrage of yellow stars at the moon-shaped rock floating above her.

Unfortunately, Lunatone fired a light blue beam of icy energy at the stars, stopping Espeon's attack completely.

"Umbreon, we need to end this!" Gary yelled urgently. "Use Hidden Power!"

Umbreon's eyes flashed white and it unleashed black radiating waves of energy from its body at the Rock/Psychic-types.

The Meteorite Pokémon groaned as they were hit by the dark waves. They immediately fled in fright of Umbreon's overwhelming power.

"Guess we showed them," Leaf said with a grin.

"Yeah," Gary sighed in relief. He then looked down at the Pokémon at her feet. "Since when have you had an Espeon?"

"Oh, I've had her since my journey through Johto," Leaf explained. "I sent Jigglypuff back home last night in order for her to get some rest and so that Espeon could get some action."

"Es-peon!" Espeon mewed as she began to rub up against her trainer's leg.

A smile made its way onto Gary's face as he watched Leaf bend down and pet the Sun Pokémon. She had always been really great with Pokémon, even when they were younger. She seemed to have this bond with Pokémon that he had always admired.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard Leaf say, "Gary, is something wrong?"

Gary gulped as he saw her looking at him. For some reason, her brown hair seemed to shimmer in the sunlight and her eyes sparkled. Gary could feel himself blushing madly.

"Uh, nothing," He shook his head. "We should probably see if we can find the others."

Leaf nodded. All of the sudden, however, they heard a massive explosion go off.

"What was that?" Leaf exclaimed.

* * *

><p>"Be-hee-yem!" A brown extraterrestrial-like creature with a large head and green bug-eyes said as it fired multiple Energy Balls at Iris and Cilan. As each orb hit the ground, an explosion would occur, resulting in a loud "<em>Bang<em>!"

"Haxorus, use Dragon Rage!" Iris told her Dragon-type.

Haxorus opened its mouth and a light blue ball of energy formed inside of it. It then fired a black-and-blue energy beam that was shaped like a Dragon out at the Cerebral Pokémon.

What Iris didn't expect was for Beheeyem to disappear at the last second and reappear out of the way of Haxorus's attack in a flash of multicolored light.

Iris growled. Beheeyem constantly using its Teleport to avoid their attacks was getting annoying.

"Simisage, use Solarbeam!" Cilan instructed.

The bush on Simisage's head began to sparkle light blue as it gathered energy from the sunlight. It then held up its hands and fired a golden-yellow beam of solar energy out at its foe.

Beheeyem was shocked at how powerful Simisage's Solarbeam was. So shocked, in fact, that it had no time to use Teleport and was in turn sent flying backwards into a tree by the Thorn Monkey Pokémon's attack.

"Nice work, Simisage!" Cilan complimented his partner.

"Sim-i-sage!" Simisage said with a nod.

"Yeah, great job," Iris smiled. "Now, how do we get out of here?"

"I've got an idea," Cilan said cunningly. "Why don't we take a look into the future?"

As he finished saying this, he pulled out a Pokéball and threw it into the air. In a flash of light, a small creature with a purple face, blue eyes, red lips, black "hair" and dress, and white bows all over its body appeared in front of the connoisseur.

"Gothorita, could you help us find our way out of here by using Future Sight?" Cilan inquired.

Gothorita nodded and its eyes then began to take on a blue glow. Seconds later, it held out its arm, pointing down one of the forest pathways.

"Right, so it's this way!" Cilan grinned triumphantly.

Iris giggled to herself. Cilan always had a way of making her laugh, even if it was just due to her embarrassment.

Lately, Iris had been looking at Cilan in another light. Back when they were traveling through Unova with Ash, she had always seen him as the mature and goofy one of the group, always evaluating just about every battle with food terminology. But after being alone with him for a whole month, something seemed different about him. Iris struggled to figure out what as the answer was always eluding her.

"Hey, Iris, you coming?" She suddenly heard Cilan call out to her. She saw that the green-haired teen was standing there waiting for her several yards away.

"Oh, I'm coming!" Iris replied, blushing madly with embarrassment. How could she be acting like such a kid?

* * *

><p>"Hurry, Ash!" May shouted in fear as the three of them ran from a multitude of giraffe-like creatures with yellow front halves with black spots and black back halves with yellow spots. They had long necks and horns on their head, pink spikes running down their backs, and on their tails, they had smaller heads with yellow eyes and sharp teeth.<p>

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on those Girafarig!" Ash yelled to the Electric Mouse running beside him and May.

"Pika!" Pikachu said with a nod. He skidded to a stop. He then held its arms up before bringing them down and releasing a powerful bolt of electricity as he yelled, "CHUUUUUUU!"

Several of the Girafarig were electrocuted by Pikachu's attack, but there were still many of them that were still on the hunt.

Suddenly, the Girafarig began firing magenta beams of energy with multicolored particles from their horns at Ash and Pikachu, who were soon knocked to the ground. May began to rapidly switch in her emotions from ones of fear to ones of anger and rage.

"Beautifly, Blaziken, and Glaceon! Take the stage!" May said angrily as she threw three of her Pokéballs into the air. Immediately, the three Pokémon appeared in front of her.

"Beautifly, use Silver Wind!" May ordered.

Beautifly began to rapidly flap its wings, releasing a wind with silver crescents in it at the Long Neck Pokémon.

"Glaceon, follow it up with Ice Shard!" May continued.

Glaceon opened its mouth and fired multiple shards of light blue glowing ice from it at the many Girafarig, scaring a lot of them off. A few of the braver ones still remained, however.

"Finish them off with Overheat!" May shouted.

Blaziken's body turned a faint red and it then opened its mouth, releasing a blast of white fire with a red-orange flame spiraling around it at the remaining Girafarig. The attack hit its mark, causing the Girafarig a great deal of damage and scaring them off completely. Finally, as the last Girafarig disappeared from sight, May cooled down.

"Ash!" She said as she ran over to his side. At the same time, Glaceon ran over to Pikachu.

While Glaceon helped Pikachu up, May struggled to pull Ash up off of the ground.

"Are you all right?" She asked, a severely worried expression on her face.

Ash looked up at her and grinned, if ever so strained due to the fall he took.

"Yeah, I'm all right," Ash said as he heaved himself back onto his feet with the Hoenn coordinator's help. "And it's all thanks to you."

"Thanks," May said, blushing madly. She soon shook it off as she suddenly heard something off into the distance. "Did you hear something?"

"Yeah," Ash nodded. It almost sounded like the beating of wings.

All of the sudden, the bushes began to rustle before a light blue flying insect burst from the brush, followed by Brock, Max, and Meowth.

"May!" Max exclaimed happily. He began to run straight towards her.

"Max!" May immediately embraced her younger brother with joy.

"How did you find us?" Ash asked.

"It was Pikachu's Thunderbolt," Meowth explained. "You'd have to be blind to not see that kind of power."

"The others should probably be here soon as well," Brock stated. Just as he said this, Misty and Tracey appeared on a forest pathway mere feet away.

"Guys!" Misty waved, running over to them with Tracey in tow.

"We thought we'd never find you!" Tracey panted as he stopped to breathe.

"Where are the others?" May inquired.

Almost like she had said the magic word, Iris, Cilan, Leaf, and Gary all appeared, pushing their way through the trees.

"Hey, everyone!" Leaf greeted as she and the other three walked up to them.

"It's nice to see that everyone is in one piece!" Cilan said with relief.

"So, we're all back together now, right?" Gary questioned the others.

"Uh, where are Dawn and Gavin?" Iris looked around from side to side, seeing no trace of the couple anywhere.

Out of nowhere, everyone heard a familiar scream off into the distance.

* * *

><p>At this point of time, Gavin and Dawn were cornered along with Pichu and Piplup by a powerful-looking Sigilyph that flew through the air menacingly. While Pichu and Piplup guarded Dawn, who was lying up against a tree, Gavin and Weavile were doing their best to combat against the Avianoid Pokémon.<p>

"Weavile, try your Shadow Ball!" Gavin told the Sharp Claw Pokémon.

Weavile put its hands together and produced a black-and-purple orb of shadowy energy. It then fired it out at the Psychic/Flying-type.

Regrettably, the Sigilyph blocked Weavile's attack with an Air Slash from its now glowing light blue wings. The multiple white glowing saws of air sliced up the Shadow Ball into bits almost instantly.

Gavin grimaced. He had to somehow fight this thing off, but how? These Psychic-types were way more powerful than other ones that he had seen. He knew he had to protect Dawn no matter what, but could he do it?

Then, as if to answer his questions, a mass of thick light blue, blue, and purple energy came out of nowhere and exploded against Sigilyph's body.

Gavin turned around to see a small, round green blob floating behind him. It seemed to be looking at the Sigilyph with an angry expression on its face.

"So-lo!" The Solosis said as it suddenly flew towards Sigilyph with a burst of speed.

Using all of its strength, Solosis rammed into Sigilyph and sent it flying back several feet.

As soon as Sigilyph got itself back up into the air, it became so scared of the glaring Solosis that it immediately flew off in fright.

"Wow," Gavin said in awe. He turned to thank Solosis, but saw that it had flown over to Dawn. It began to rub up against her hand, purring all of the while.

"Well, hello there," Dawn said with a giggle. "You must be the Solosis that we met earlier, right?"

Solosis nodded and continued to rub itself against her palm. Dawn began to smile.

However, before Gavin could say anything else, a powerful blast of yellow electricity flew directly past him, just barely avoiding him as it hit a nearby tree. Gavin turned towards the source of this attack to see the Reuniclus from earlier. Behind it was a multitude of angry-looking Psychic Pokémon.

"Re-un-i-clus!" Reuniclus growled menacingly.

Gavin was about to send out a Pokémon to take on the Multiplying Pokémon when all of the sudden, a blue ball of energy flew past him and exploded in Reuniclus's face.

Gavin and Dawn turned to see Ash and the others running up to them. In front of Ash was Lucario, who looked very smug about hitting Reuniclus.

"Guys!" Dawn called out. She was about to get up to greet them when a beam of psychic energy hit the ground right in front of her. One of the Girafarig seemed to have fired a Psybeam at her.

"Hey, stop that!" Gavin yelled. Reuniclus had been about to attack again when it stopped to look over at the brown-haired trainer.

"Meowth," Gavin whispered. The Scratch Cat Pokémon looked up at him. "I need you to translate everything that Reuniclus says, okay?"

"Gotcha," Meowth said with a nod.

Gavin then turned towards Reuniclus and said, "Look, we didn't come into the forest to harm you or to steal anything from you. All we're trying to do is get to the next town. How about we make this fair with a one-on-one battle between you and one of our Pokémon? If we win, you'll let us continue our journey through the forest, but if you win, we'll leave immediately. Deal?"

"Re-un-i-clus-clus," Reuniclus responded.

"It says that it accepts your challenge," Meowth translated.

"Okay, who wants to battle?" Gavin asked the others.

Everyone began to discuss the matter amongst themselves when suddenly, Lucario spoke up telepathically.

"_Master, I will do battle with it,_" Lucario said with a bow.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, they all found a clearing to battle on. On one side, the Reuniclus floated in front of all of its Psychic-type followers while on the other side was Lucario, who stood in front of Ash and the others. There was no referee as the winner would be decided when the one of the Pokémon was knocked out.<p>

"Lucario, let's go! Start off with Extremespeed!" Ash commanded.

Lucario grunted as it began to run towards Reuniclus, its body surrounded by a white and clear aura as it ran. It stopped on a dime right behind the floating green blob, who was shocked by its speed.

"Now, hit it with Metal Claw!" Ash ordered.

The spikes on top of Lucario's paws glowed white and they grew, transforming into three claws. Lucario then attempted to slash Reuniclus with them.

Before it could strike, however, a clear, glass-like barrier appeared around it, blocking Lucario's attack.

"That was Reflect!" Cilan said in shock.

Reuniclus then punched Lucario in the gut with a multicolored fist. As Lucario stumbled back from the blow, it had a dazed look on its face.

"I know that move! That's Dizzy Punch!" Dawn exclaimed.

Just as Lucario was shaking its dizziness off, it was shocked as Reuniclus suddenly held up both of its arms into the air. Multiple white rings of energy appeared above its body and then, large gray boulders began to come out of the ripples of energy. Lucario flinched as the boulders began to fall and rain down upon it.

"It's Rock Slide!" Gavin shouted. "Ash! Lucario's ability!"

Ash's eyes widened as his cousin finished saying this. "Lucario, dodge it!"

Lucario nodded, and with enhanced speed, it managed to jump out of the way of the rocky precipitation.

"Lucario, now use Dark Pulse!" Ash instructed.

Lucario held out one of its paws and fired a barrage of shadowy circles out at the Multiplying Pokémon.

Reuniclus rapidly turned and formed three thick masses of psychic energy in between its hands before firing them at Lucario's attack. The two attacks collided, exploding directly in between them.

"Lucario, use Bone Rush!" Ash told the Aura Pokémon.

Lucario put its paws together and spread them apart, creating a light green bone of energy. It then spun it around before running at its opponent.

As Lucario ran at it, Reuniclus began firing powerful bolts of yellow electricity at it which Lucario skillfully blocking with its bone staff. Then, Lucario jumped up into the air, flipped, and then came down and struck Reuniclus in the head with the bone.

"Re-un…," Reuniclus groaned as it swayed back and forth throughout the air in a daze from the blow to its head.

"Now, let's finish it off!" Ash yelled. "Use Aura Sphere!"

Lucario put its paws together and fired a blue ball of energy from them at its Psychic-type opponent. Reuniclus was hit in the face and was knocked backwards into a tree by the explosion that the orb caused upon impact.

As it slumped to the ground, it had swirls in its eyes and a dazed look on its face.

"_Huh. I win_," Lucario telepathically said with a satisfied grin on its face.

* * *

><p>Later, after they healed Reuniclus and fixed its injuries, the group continued their way out of the forest towards their destination.<p>

However, just as the group was traveling down the road, they suddenly heard a high, squeaky voice behind them squealing.

"What's that?" Ash asked nobody in particular as they all turned around to see a small, green blob flying towards them, and more specifically, towards Dawn.

"Hey, it's that Solosis from earlier!" Max pointed out.

"So-lo-sis!" Solosis said as it began to fly around Dawn's head happily.

"Oh, it's so adorable!" May squealed.

"Dawn, I think that it wants to travel with you," Brock stated.

"Really?" Dawn said in surprise.

She then looked at the Cell Pokémon and asked, "Solosis, would you like to come with me?"

Solosis nodded and looked up at her expectantly.

"Alright, then," Dawn said with a smile. She then pulled out a Pokéball and tossed it at Solosis, yelling, "Pokéball, go!"

The ball struck Solosis on the head and then opened up, sucking it into it in a red flash of light. The device fell to the ground and began rocking ball and forth until it stopped with a spark and a "_click_!"

Dawn quickly scooped up the ball and held it up to the air as she called out, "I caught…a Solosis!"

"Pi-plup!" Piplup cheered. Suddenly though, the Pokéball shrank and a red light lit up.

"Huh? What's going on?" Dawn asked.

"It's the whole six-member team rule," Gavin explained. "Once you send one of your Pokémon back to Professor Oak, you'll be able to open it back up again."

"Oh," Dawn said appreciatively. "Well, let's hurry and get to Noctae City, then!"

With that, she grabbed her boyfriend's hand and began dragging him along the pathway behind her while the others followed.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on top of a tall building in Noctae City, a cloaked figure stood there looking over the city. By their side was a slender, purple-colored feline creature.<p>

"The Amaro Region had a taste of the _Nebula_ of darkness," They said with a sneer. "But let's see how they like the taste of a total _Eclipse_."

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 42: "The Great Water-Type Competition! Horsea's Big Chance!"<span>_- Just before the group is about to reach Noctae City, they stop in a small town known as Aquos Town. It is here that the group runs into an old friend who is there to participate in a Water Pokémon Battle Competition. Misty decides to participate as well, but will she be able to win? Tune in to find out!

**Well, I hope you guys liked it! You don't know how weird it feels to be writing a normal chapter again! However, I'm hoping that I was able to keep up to my usual standards. Feel free to tell me if there's anything I need to make better for the next chapter. Read and Review!**

**Oh, before you guys say anything, that Water-type competition next chapter is only in that chapter. I'm not doing another long battle tournament like the OC one for a long time! **

**Now that I'm on Spring Break, I should have a bit more time for writing, but after writing the tournament, my writing style has become a lot better than it was back when I first started this fic. Makes me wonder what my writing style will be like later on in this fic. Huh, I guess we'll find out. **

**By the way, a great new Advanceshipping fanfic has surfaced! It's called "Sapphire Desire" by xTheODSTx! He's just starting out, but it's still pretty good! I highly encourage you to read it! Same goes for DarkIceFlame's fic, "Along the Road of Ultimates!" I'm really looking forward to the 2nd**** cha****pter! ****Well, until next time, see ya!**


	42. Chapter 42

**Here's the newest chapter! Hope you enjoy it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 42: "The Great Water-Type Competition! Horsea's Big Chance!"_

"Wow, this place is great!"

Misty looked around the small town of Aquos as she and the others walked amongst all of the celebrating natives and tourists. Her sea-green eyes seemed to literally sparkle as she saw all of the decorations that seemed to involve Water Pokémon.

The others were almost as awe-stricken as she was, but Max had a confused look on his face.

"So what's going on here?" Max asked nobody in particular.

"It's the Aquos Town Water Pokémon Celebration," Brock explained. "You see, every year, Aquos Town is supposed to hold this celebration for Water Pokémon, which is their favorite kind of Pokémon."

"Brock, you've never been here before," May stated. "How could you possibly know that?"

Brock suddenly pulled out a small pamphlet from his pocket and said, "I picked up a brochure on the way into town."

At that, the others fell to the ground, anime-style. After picking themselves up off of the ground, however, Misty looked over towards the crowd and saw someone that made her eyes widen.

"Sakura!" Misty suddenly shouted with a smile.

The group looked to a girl with magenta-colored hair put into pig-tails with two barrettes in her hair that had two pink pearls on each of them. She had dark blue eyes and was wearing a pink short-sleeved blouse with a blue bow at the collar and a dark blue skirt. Standing on the ground beside her was a calm-looking Espeon.

The girl looked towards Misty and as she did, a huge smile took a spot on her face.

"Misty? It's so great to see you!" Sakura said as she and her Espeon ran up towards them.

While Misty and Sakura hugged one another, Ash, Brock, and Tracey all went over to greet their friend from Johto. Meanwhile, the others looked thoroughly confused, except for Gavin, who instead had a severe look of sheer terror on his face.

He was hoping that she wouldn't notice him, but there was no such luck. As the magenta-haired girl noticed the brown-haired trainer, a smirk appeared on her face.

"Hi, Gavin. Nice to see you again," Sakura said with a smile.

The others looked at the two of them with looks of shock and astonishment.

"You two know each other?" Leaf asked.

"We met when he came to Ecruteak City for his gym battle with Morty," Sakura told them with a grin on her face. Meanwhile, Gavin was heavily sweating. "He and I went into the Burned Tower after Espeon, who was an Eevee back then, was frightened by the Aipom of a guy that Gavin knew named Walker. After arguing with Walker for a bit, we finally forced him to go in with us. When the three of us were in there…

* * *

><p>(Flashback- Five years ago, Burned Tower, Ecruteak City, Johto Region)<p>

_"We've just got to find my Eevee!" Sakura said, extremely worried as she, Gavin, and Walker walked through the burnt and fragmented recesses of the Burned Tower._

_ "Don't worry, Sakura," Gavin said as comforting as he could. "We'll find her soon."_

_ Meanwhile, Walker, who was walking directly behind them, was currently crossing his arms and pouting due to the fact that he hadn't wanted to be there in the first place. On his shoulder, Aipom looked just as mad._

_ "Ugh, can we please hurry?" Walker asked. "This place gives me the creeps."_

_ "Ai-pom!" Aipom nodded, fully agreeing with its trainer._

_ "What's wrong, Walker?" Gavin smirked. "You're not scared, are you?"_

_ Pichu chuckled along with his trainer while Walker and Aipom began to look a bit angry._

_ "Scared? Pul-ease," Walker said arrogantly. "Nothing scares us. Right, Aipom?"_

_ Aipom nodded with its goofy-looking grin on its face when all of the sudden, the three heard an extremely frightened whimpering in the distance._

_ "What was that?" Walker inquired, looking extremely uneasy._

_ They looked around and then saw a shivering Eevee sitting in the corner, looking completely scared._

_ "Eevee!" Sakura exclaimed. She then ran up to her now-crying Eevee and scooped it up into her arms. Eevee immediately began nuzzling itself into her chest._

_ "I wonder what freaked it out so much," Gavin wondered. Suddenly, his question was answered when a black ball of ghostly matter surrounded by purple smog with big, white eyes and a mouth with a pair of fangs in it popped out through the decayed wall in front of them._

_ "Gas-tly!" It moaned while making a scary face at them._

_ "AHHHHHH!" The three kids and their Pok__é__mon screamed at the sight of the Ghost/Poison-type. It disappeared a few seconds later, but it took a few seconds longer for the kids and Pok__é__mon to calm down._

_ "I-I think it's gone," Sakura said in relief. Then, she looked over at the other two and had to cover her mouth in order to prevent herself from laughing._

_ In their fright, Gavin and Walker had grabbed onto the closest thing possible for security. Unfortunately for them, that happened to be each other._

_ "Dude, why are you hugging me?" Walker asked._

_ "I could ask you the same thing!" Gavin snapped back. Then, Gavin's eyes narrowed as he felt something wet. "Walker…did you do what I think you did?"_

_ "NO!" Walker yelled. He then looked down and his eyes widened. "Hey! There's my Soda Pop!"_

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>The entire group began to laugh while Gavin blushed in embarrassment. Misty took pity on Ash's cousin and decided to change the subject.<p>

"So what are you doing in the Amaro Region, Sakura?" Misty asked.

"I'm competing in gym battles so that I can get into the Amaro League!" Sakura said proudly. "But today, I'm here to participate in the Aquos Town Battle Competition!"

"Battle Competition?" The group repeated.

* * *

><p>A little bit later, at the Pokémon Center, Sakura told the group that every year during the Aquos Town Water Pokémon Celebration, they held a small battle tournament for Water Pokémon. The winner would receive a Mystic Water, an item used to enhance the power of Water-type attacks.<p>

"Wow! I just have to enter!" Misty squealed.

"It sounds like fun," Ash said thoughtfully. "I'm so gonna win!"

While most of them seemed excited about entering, Max, Leaf, Iris, and Cilan all sighed because none of them had any Water-type Pokémon.

"Well, I guess we can just sit out this time," Leaf shrugged.

From that point, the rest of them began to think about what Pokémon they were going to use in this competition. Eventually, they made their choices and proceeded to make their way to the Aquos Town Battle Arena to sign up for the competition.

* * *

><p>"Welcome everyone to the 46th Annual Aquos Town Battle Competition!" An announcer said to a small arena full of people that were highly anticipating the battles that were to be held. In the middle of the arena was a pool battlefield with several floating platforms. The field was currently surrounded by about thirty-two trainers.<p>

"Today, you will see some of the most powerful Water-type Pokémon battle for the title of 'Most Powerful Water-type Pokémon,' and for this Mystic Water!"

Everyone squealed with excitement when they saw the announcer hold out a small necklace with a small glass adornment that was shaped like a hollow drop of water. Inside the glass, there was a small amount of glowing light blue water.

"Okay, here are the rules for the competition," The announcer continued, "Trainers may only use one Pokémon for each battle, and it has to be a Water-type. Each battle will be single, one-on-one match-ups. After all of the other trainers have been knocked out, the last trainer standing will be the winner!

"Now, let's see who will get paired up for the first round!"

At that point, the thirty-two images on the screen began to shuffle around until stopping in certain spots on a tourney chart. As all of the participants looked up at the screen, they began to take into account exactly who they would be battling first.

* * *

><p>The group scanned the screen intently as they looked for their images.<p>

"Hey, looks like I'm up first against some trainer named Althea," Dawn noted.

"And I'm in the third battle against a guy named Neil," Tracey commented.

"I'm in battle number five with a girl called Noemi," May stated.

"I'm in the seventh battle!" Misty said confidently.

"Battle number nine for me!" Gary nodded.

"Number eleven is where I'm at!" Brock said with approval.

"I've got battle thirteen," Sakura noticed.

"Wait a minute, where are Ash and Gavin at?" May asked.

They looked towards the two trainers who had their heads hung down.

"Check the last battle," They both muttered.

The others looked up at the screen with confused looks on their faces, but then, their eyes widened when they saw both of the two cousins' pictures paired up together for the last battle of the first round.

"Whoa, that's not good," Tracey said understandingly.

"I can't believe that you guys have to battle so quickly!" May exclaimed.

"Well, it's alright, because I'm so gonna win again!" Ash said with enthusiasm.

"We'll see about that, cousin," Gavin grinned.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, it was time for the first battle between Dawn and Althea. Althea was a girl a few years older than her with purple eyes and curly lavender hair. She wore a white sleeveless top, teal green shorts, and a pair of gray tennis shoes.<p>

"Alright, trainers, choose your Pokémon!" The referee told them.

"Piplup, you ready to go?" Dawn asked her partner beside her.

"Pi-plup!" Piplup nodded and gave her a salute with one of his flippers. He then hopped out onto one of the floating platforms.

On the other side of the water battlefield, Althea smirked as she took out a Pokéball and threw it into the air.

In a flash of light, a light blue aquatic creature with a serpentine body appeared in the pool. It had orange semi-circle spines running down the length of its back, a strangely-shaped tail, white spots bordered with orange rings all over it (two of them on its face looked like nostrils), a large mouth full of sharp teeth, and an orange crest on its head.

A bit curious, Dawn decided to take out her Pokédex and scan this Pokémon for information.

"_Huntail, the Deep Sea Pok__é__mon. It lives deep in the sea and uses its fish-shaped tail to attract unsuspecting prey._"

"Piplup versus Huntail! Let the battle begin!" The referee declared.

"Piplup, use BubbleBeam!" Dawn commanded.

"Huntail, dodge it by diving into the water!" Althea instructed.

"Pi-plup-plup-plup-plup-plup!" Piplup chanted as it opened its beak and released a stream of blue bubbles from its mouth.

Just as the bubbles were coming towards it, Huntail jumped up and then dove underwater, avoiding Piplup's attack.

"Now, come up and use Screech!" Althea ordered.

Huntail then burst out of the water and yelled loudly, distorting the air. This caused Piplup to become unable to move as its ears were ringing.

"Follow it up with Water Pulse!" Althea directed.

Huntail opened its mouth and an orb of blue water formed inside of it. Then, it fired the ball straight at the Penguin Pokémon.

"Piplup, use Whirlpool!" Dawn yelled.

Piplup's body glowed a bluish-white color as it raised its arms and beak up into the air. It next opened its beak and a huge whirlpool comes out of it and forms above Piplup. It then threw the whirlpool at Huntail's attack, and the two collided to make a large splash.

"Alright, Piplup, use Peck!" Dawn cried out.

Piplup's beak glowed white and it extended as it ran and jumped off of its platform. Strangely enough, however, it began to rapidly spin its body like a drill as it headed straight towards Huntail.

"Huh? What's that move?" Dawn murmured. She decided to look it up in her Pokédex.

"_Drill Peck: an attack where the user spins rapidly like a corkscrew or a drill and strikes its opponent with its beak._"

"Awesome! Piplup learned Drill Peck!" Dawn squealed. "Okay, Piplup! Drill Peck!"

Piplup rocketed straight towards Huntail, and before it could even move, it was struck in the side by Piplup's attack. Huntail was sent speeding backwards through the water a few feet. Despite the short distance of movement, Huntail looked like the attack had done a great deal of damage.

"Huntail!" Althea called out.

"Piplup, let's wrap this up with Hydro Pump!" Dawn shouted.

Piplup opened its mouth and released a powerful stream of water with white rings of water around it from it at Huntail, sending it flying through the pool. As Huntail hit the wall, it caused a huge splash of water that blocked it from view.

As soon as the splash finished, everyone saw that Huntail had been knocked out.

"Huntail is unable to battle! Piplup is the winner!" The referee announced. "This round goes to Dawn!"

"Yay! We did it!" Dawn said happily as she picked up Piplup and spun it around with her.

* * *

><p>After watching the second battle, the group watched as Tracey was up against a guy named Neil.<p>

Neil was a skinny fellow in his mid-20s with short blue hair and blue eyes, wearing a collared red shirt, black pants, and a pair of white sneakers.

At this point, Tracey's Marill had been battling it out against Neil's Slowking. However, Marill seemed to be at a disadvantage because Slowking kept on hitting it with its powerful attacks.

"Slowking, hit it with another Power Gem!" Neil told the Royal Pokémon.

The gem embedded into the crown on top of the large, pink Pokémon's head began to glow a bright orange, and then, a large and glowing orange ball formed in between its hands. Slowking soon raised up its hands and threw the ball at Marill.

"Marill, dodge it!" Tracey hollered out.

Marill quickly jumped from the platform it had been currently standing on into the water, dodging Slowking's attack.

"Now, Marill! Hit it with an Aqua Tail!" Tracey said as he pointed at the opponent.

Marill leapt from the water and swung its now glowing blue tail out at Slowking. As it swung its tail, a stream of spiraling water was released from the end of it at the Water/Psychic-type, sending it flying into the water.

As Slowking floated back up to the surface, everyone saw that it had a dazed expression on its face and swirls in its eyes.

"Slowking is unable to battle! Marill is the winner!" The referee said to the crowd. "The victory goes to Tracey!"

The crowd cheered as Tracey rubbed Marill on its head. Marill purred as it felt its trainer's hand.

* * *

><p>The next battle of the group's was the battle between May and a blonde-haired girl named Noemi.<p>

Currently, May's Wartortle was struggling in its battle with Noemi's Cloyster. No matter what it did, it just couldn't break through Cloyster's incredibly strong shell.

"Wartortle, try another Rapid Spin!" May ordered.

Wartortle pulled all of its limbs into its shell and began to spin like a disc as it flew towards Cloyster. Unfortunately for it, however, it simply bounced off like a rubber ball.

"Ha! You won't be able to break through my Cloyster's defenses that easily!" Noemi said with a smirk. "Now, Cloyster, use Icicle Crash!"

Cloyster took a deep breath and released a wind with light blue sparkles in it from its mouth into the air. Then, small clumps of ice formed in the wind and grew longer and longer, forming into sharp icicles. The icicles then rained down upon Wartortle, who was sent flying as they struck the water beside it.

May looked worried as she wondered how she was going to beat the Water/Ice-type. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"Wartortle, dive down under Cloyster and then use Rapid Spin!" She called out to it.

Wartortle jumped underwater and swam down until it was directly below Cloyster. It then began to spin inside its shell at a rapid speed, creating a whirlpool in the pool that caused Cloyster to be spun around every which way. One could tell that it was getting extremely dizzy.

"Now, hit it with an Ice Beam!" May commanded.

Wartortle immediately rocketed out of the water and fired a light blue beam of light out of its mouth at Cloyster's vulnerable face. Cloyster shrieked in pain as it was hit.

"Okay, Wartortle! Let's finish it off with Water Gun!" May yelled.

"Cloyster, hurry and shut your shell!" Noemi cried out.

Cloyster attempted to shut its shell, but found that it couldn't due to ice blocking it from doing so. Wartortle then opened its mouth and released a powerful stream of water out it at Cloyster. Cloyster was hit in the face and was sent flying into the water where it was knocked out instantly.

"Cloyster is unable to battle! Wartortle is the winner! The victory goes to May!"

* * *

><p>The group continued to watch the battles of the first round, seeing Misty, Gary, and Brock win their battles with Corsola, Politoed, and Marshtomp respectively. Then, after watching Sakura win her battle, they soon reached the point of Ash and Gavin's battle.<p>

Now, both trainers stood on opposite sides of the water battlefield, both looking ready for battle. To the side of the field, the group watched in anticipation for the battle between cousins.

"Trainers, send out your Pokémon!" The referee ordered.

"Samurott, I choose you!" Ash shouted as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, the Formidable Pokémon appeared on one of the floating platforms.

"Empoleon, come on out!" Gavin yelled as he hurled a Pokéball towards the field.

Instantly, the Emperor Pokémon materialized onto one of the platforms. Both powerful Water-types stared each other down as they prepared for a showdown.

"Samurott versus Empoleon! Begin!" The referee cried out.

A glint appeared in both trainers' eyes as they simultaneously yelled, "Samurott/Empoleon, use Aqua Jet!"

Both Samurott and Empoleon's bodies became surrounded by water as they shot up into the air and began heading straight towards each other. The crowd gasped as they were about to collide, wondering, "Who could possibly win this battle?"

* * *

><p>Apparently, the answer was neither of them as both Samurott and Empoleon lay on the ground beside the battlefield unconscious.<p>

"I'm confused," Leaf said while tilting her head to the side. "How did they both get knocked out?"

"We may never know," Max said solemnly.

"It seems that since both Pokémon have been knocked out, the match is pronounced a tie and both trainers are out of the tournament," The referee concluded.

Ash and Gavin both sighed as they looked at the two Pokémon. They had gotten so far in the Kafue Town Battle Tournament, but yet they somehow knocked each other out in the first round of this competition.

* * *

><p>As the first round went by fast, so did all of the other rounds up until the final match. May, Dawn, Brock, Tracey, and Gary were all knocked out respectively, and after all of the battles, it was now time for the final battle of the tournament between Misty and Sakura.<p>

On one side of the field was Misty, who looked determined to win. The same could be said for Sakura. Both had been friends and rivals for years, and now it was time for them to face off against each other once again.

"This will be the final battle of the tournament! The winner's Pokémon will receive the title of 'Most Powerful Water Pokémon' and the Mystic Water! Now, trainers, please bring out your Pokémon!" The referee said to the battlers and the crowd.

Misty took out a Pokéball and tossed it into the air. As the ball flew into the air, she yelled, "Horsea, let's go!"

In a flash of light, the small, aquatic Dragon Pokémon appeared in the pool. It looked like it was ready to battle.

Sakura smiled as she threw a Pokéball into the air and shouted, "Lumineon, you're up!"

Instantly, a blue fish with fins that resembled butterfly wings materialized in the water. Horsea looked a bit nervous at the sight of its opponent.

"Horsea versus Lumineon! Let the final battle begin!" The referee proclaimed.

"Horsea, use your Bubble attack!" Misty ordered.

Horsea began to blow blue bubbles from its mouth at Lumineon.

"Lumineon, block it with Aqua Ring!" Sakura instructed.

Water droplets formed around Lumineon's body and they combined together to create three rings of water that surrounded its body. Then, just as the bubbles came, they were blocked by the rings of water.

* * *

><p>"I've never seen Aqua Ring used like that," Dawn said in awe.<p>

"Not only did she use it for preemptive healing, but also to block Horsea's Bubble," Brock realized. "Sakura has gotten a lot better since we last saw her."

* * *

><p>"Now, Lumineon, use Bounce!" Sakura called out.<p>

Lumineon suddenly jumped out of the water and flew up into the air. Once it was pretty high up, Lumineon began hurtling down straight towards Horsea.

"Horsea, dodge it!" Misty shouted.

Horsea quickly swam as fast as it could to get out of the way and just barely dodged Lumineon's splashdown into the water. Both of them then dove down underwater.

"Horsea, use Smokescreen!" Misty told her Pokémon.

Horsea swam slightly above Lumineon and released dark purple ink from its mouth. As the ink spread through the pool, the water began to turn black.

"Lumineon, use Silver Wind to clear up the water!" Sakura yelled.

Lumineon's butterfly-like pectoral fins glowed silver as it flapped them like wings and sent a current of silver lights throughout the pool, clearing away all traces of Horsea's ink.

"Okay, Lumineon, let's send it into the air with your Waterfall!" Sakura smiled.

Lumineon's eyes glowed light blue and a column of water rose up from the water, carrying Horsea with it all of the way to the top.

"Horsea!" Misty said in worry.

Lumineon then began to spiral up the water column towards Horsea and once it reached the top, it tackled Horsea and sent it hurtling down to the water.

It was like everything was in slow motion as Horsea fell, but suddenly, a whirlpool of water came up out of the water and caught it. Then, out of nowhere, Horsea's body to glow a fierce glow and it began to change form.

* * *

><p>"It can't be!" May gasped.<p>

"It's…it's…," Cilan stuttered.

"It's evolving!" Iris finished.

* * *

><p>As the glowing faded, a new Pokémon had taken Horsea's place. It was a primarily blue seahorse creature with a long snout, spikes on its head (on the sides and on top), and a large coiled-up tail. Its torso was covered in rough, cream-colored scales and its pectoral fins had sharp, pointed, cream-colored tips.<p>

"Sea-dra!" The Pokémon cried out as it glared at its opponent, who was still on top of the column of water.

"Amazing!" The announcer said to the crowd. "Misty's Horsea has evolved into a Seadra!"

* * *

><p>Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned Misty's newly evolved Pokémon.<p>

"_Seadra, the Dragon Pokémon and the evolved form of Horsea. It is known for its powerful disposition that possesses both strength and speed. It has a vicious temperament, and the quills that cover it can render its victims unconscious._"

* * *

><p>"Seadra…," Misty whispered in awe. A smile then made its way onto her face. "Alright, Seadra, let's see what you can do!"<p>

Seadra nodded and then, after both the whirlpool and column of water went back down into the pool, it began swimming around the pool at a high-speed using its new _agility_.

Then, after coming to a stop behind Lumineon, Seadra moved its pectoral fins and a _twister_ appeared and began heading straight towards the Neon Pokémon. The twister soon completely engulfed it.

"So you now know Agility and Twister!" Misty exclaimed. "Well, how about this one? Seadra, finish it off with Dragon Pulse!"

Seadra got right in front of its trainer, turned towards Lumineon, and started to form a turquoise ball of energy in front of its mouth. It then fired it out at its opponent, who was hit before it could even dodge and sent flying back several feet. It eventually hit the wall of the pool with a loud "_CRASH_!"

Lumineon groaned as it floated at the top of the water with swirls in its eyes and a dazed expression on its face.

"Lumineon is unable to battle! Seadra is the winner!" The referee said to everyone. "The winner of the 46th Annual Aquos Town Battle Competition is Misty!"

* * *

><p>The crowd cheered as Misty was crowned the winner and as she received the Mystic Water. Seadra especially looked proud of itself as it swam around in a small pool beside her.<p>

As the festivities raged on, the group enjoyed themselves fully, and when it came to the food…well, let's just say that there weren't any leftovers after Ash and May finished going through the buffet line.

The next day, Ash and the others decided to say one last good-bye to Sakura before resuming their travels to Noctae City.

"It was so nice to see you!" Misty said as she hugged her friend.

"Same to you, Misty!" Sakura said happily. "But next time we see each other, we're gonna have a rematch."

"For sure," Misty smiled as they broke the embrace.

With that, they said good-bye to their friend and continued on their way to Noctae City.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a man and a woman dressed in navy and magenta trench coats respectively walked quietly through a large and bright city until they reached a dark alley.<p>

As they walked into the alley, they saw a man with long dark blue hair and olive green eyes waiting for them. He was wearing a black trench coat and held a briefcase in his hand.

"So, you have arrived," The olive-eyed man said with an emotionless face.

"Yes," The woman nodded. "And we're ready for our mission."

"Good," The olive-eyed man opened his briefcase and it was revealed to be a computer. On the screen were several blueprints, designs, and graphics that were coordinated in certain ways. "Now, here's the plan…"

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 43: "The Return of Team Umbra, Part 1: The Champions Appear!"<span>_- Our heroes have finally arrived in Noctae City where they happen to run into a few old friends. What happens, however, when they meet the Champion of the Amaro Region? Find out next time on "Pokémon: League of Ultimates!"

**And there you have it! Chapter 42 is finished! Hope ya like it! Read & Review!**

**I thought that I was going to get more of the chapters done this week, but unfortunately, I caught another case of the dreaded writer's block! Because of school and work, I won't have as much time to write until the end of April, but once that time comes, that's when the writing will hopefully speed up! **

**One good thing came out of the writer's block, however. I am happy to announce that I have begun working on a new Pokemon fanfic series that I call "Pokemon Fusion Warriors!" It's not Advanceshipping, but I believe that you will all find it very interesting once it is released! Until next time, see ya!**


	43. Chapter 43

**He****y, guys! New chapter of League of Ultimates! Hope ya like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**_  
><em>

_Chapter 43: "The Return of Team Umbra, Part 1: The Champions Appear!"_

It was another perfect day in the vast Amaro Region as our heroes finally made their way to their latest destination: Noctae City.

The biggest city that they have seen yet, Noctae City was practically made up of tall buildings that were scattered all over the place throughout the city. And there were probably ten times more people and city Pokémon as well. Even Meowth, who had lived in a city before he met Team Rocket, was filled with awe.

"It's been so long since we've been in a city," May commented as they all walked along the busy streets of the urban metropolis.

The others nodded in agreement. Suddenly though, one of Dawn's Pokéballs opened up, causing a floating green blob to appear into the air beside her.

"_So-lo_!" It squeaked happily.

"Solosis! What are you doing outside of your ball?" Dawn asked the Psychic-type.

Solosis didn't seem to hear her, however, as it slowly looked around at all of the sights around it in awe.

"Dawn, when did you get Solosis back?" Max inquired.

"Oh, after I sent Pachirisu back to Professor Oak's lab, along with Buneary," Dawn explained.

The others all then nodded with understanding while none of them noticed a certain Electric Mouse sighing in relief that he wouldn't have to deal with the love-crazy bunny for a while.

"Hmm," Brock pondered for a moment. Then, a thought struck him. "Maybe it's because Solosis has never seen a city before."

"Huh?" Dawn said in disbelief. "Really?"

"It does make a bit of sense," Cilan stated.

"Yeah, since we met it back in the Kafue Forest," Iris added.

Meanwhile, while they were all discussing this, something caught the curious Solosis's attention, causing it to begin to float off.

"Pika?" Pikachu said as he noticed that Solosis had disappeared. He then began to tug on Ash's shirt collar.

"What is it, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu answered, pointing to where Solosis had been before.

Ash looked to where Pikachu was pointing, and after a few seconds, he realized what Pikachu was trying to tell him.

"Hey, Dawn! Where did Solosis go?" Ash questioned.

Dawn tilted her head in confusion, but then looked around and looked panicked when she discovered that Solosis was nowhere to be found.

"SOLOSIS!" Dawn exclaimed in panic.

Everyone in the group became alarmed that the Cell Pokémon had disappeared without them noticing.

"We have to find my Solosis!" Dawn said with worry.

"How are we supposed to find one _small_ Solosis in this _huge_ city?" Gary asked coolly.

Just as they were mulling this over, they heard a familiar voice yell, "ASH, LOOK OUT! I CAN'T STOP!"

Ash turned and was shocked when he saw Barry suddenly run into him, knocking them both to the ground.

"ASH! I OUGHT TO FINE YOU FOR NOT MOVING WHEN I SAID I COULDN'T STOP!" Barry shouted angrily at the raven-haired trainer.

"WELL, EXCUSE ME! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT RAN INTO ME!" Ash snapped back.

"THAT'S IT! I'M FINING YOU, AND YOU'VE GOT TEN SECONDS TO PAY UP!" Barry bellowed.

Before Barry could even get to one, however, a female voice called out, "OUT OF THE WAY! OUT OF THE WAY!"

Barry and Ash turned to the source of voice in confusion before they were both sent flying by a blur of orange, white, and green with blonde hair.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Both the Kanto native and the Sinnoh native screamed in unison as they fell from the sky and landed in a nearby fountain, making a huge splash.

"What was that?" Leaf asked.

They all turned and saw the cause standing right in front of them. It was a tall girl with blonde hair and green eyes wearing a light green beret, an orange sleeveless blouse with white puffy short sleeves, and a white skirt. She also had a light green purse with a strap going over her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry for…oh, hey, it's Ash!" She said with excitement.

"AH! It's Bianca!" Both Iris and Cilan declared in shock.

* * *

><p>"I'm so sorry," Bianca said sincerely as Ash and Barry dried off. She seemed to be on the verge of tears.<p>

"It's alright," Ash said in a laid-back manner.

"Who are you to say it's alright?" Barry barked. He was practically drying himself off with all of the steam coming out of his ears. "I ought to fine the both of you to pay my dry cleaning bill!"

"Geez, this kid needs to stay away from the caffeine," Meowth muttered.

"Uh, I'm still confused…," Leaf said, turning everyone's attention towards her. "Who are these two?"

The others then explained to Leaf how Barry was one of Ash's rivals from Sinnoh and Ash told them that Bianca had been one of his rivals in Unova.

"You're from Unova?" Barry said in disbelief.

"You're from Sinnoh?" Bianca tilted her head in confusion.

It was like looking in a mirror. Both of them seemed to wear the same colors and both had blonde hair. The only things different were their eyes and their personalities, Barry's hyper and Bianca's easily excitable.

"Hey," Bianca said, looking around suddenly. "Where did the others go?"

"Others?" Ash questioned.

Then, they were all interrupted when they heard a few voices say, "Hey, guys!"

They all turned to see four people running up towards them.

One was a short kid about Max's age with brown hair and blue eyes, also wearing glasses. He wore a long-sleeved, gray collared shirt, khaki pants with brown suspenders, and a pair of brown shoes. On one shoulder, he carried a camera and on the other, a small, black, foxlike Pokémon.

The second was a guy slightly taller than Brock, Tracey, Gary, and Cilan with red hair and blue eyes, wearing a sleeveless red shirt with a navy blue stripe down the middle, green shorts, red tennis shoes, and white wristbands with a blue stripe on each of them.

Behind the two guys were two girls, one with purple hair and lilac eyes and the other with red hair and blue eyes.

The former wore a sort of female version of a waiter's outfit with a long-sleeved pink shirt, a red bowtie and vest with yellow buttons, black pants, and black shoes.

The latter wore an orange hat, a teal sleeveless shirt with yellow buttons, a dark bluish-green blouse and skirt, yellow gloves, bluish-green knee socks, and a pair of teal boots.

Luke, Stephan, Burgundy, and Georgia were all heavily panting after having ran after Bianca for several blocks.

"Bianca! Why'd you just run off and desert us?" Stephan asked.

Bianca flushed red with embarrassment. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Luke smiled. "If she hadn't, we probably wouldn't have run into all of these guys."

"Hey, Stephen!" Ash said to the red-haired guy.

"Ash, I've told you before that it's _Stephan_!" Stephan said irritably. "But whatever."

While Ash shook hands with the two guys, Burgundy was glaring evilly at Cilan.

"So we meet again Cilan!" She cackled, frightening the others a bit. "And this time, I will prove that I am the better connaisseuse!"

"You're still mad about that date, aren't you?" Cilan said with fear in his voice.

"I don't even want to talk about that!" Burgundy snorted angrily.

While Burgundy scared Cilan, Georgia and Iris were already in their battle of quips.

"So, the little Dragon Master made her way to Amaro, eh?" Georgia said with a sneer. "I have to say that I'm surprised that you were ever able to find your way out of Unova."

"Making fun of me just to make yourself feel better? You're such a little kid," Iris said with a smug look on her face.

The two of them began to glare angrily at each other, causing the others to sweat drop.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Ash asked, trying to break the tension.

"I came here to see the Champions!" Barry proclaimed.

"The Champions?" The others repeated.

Barry nodded. "Yeah. Don't tell me you guys haven't heard about it yet!"

The others shook their heads, causing Barry to hang his head in mock shame.

"The Amaro Champion is coming here to Noctae City," A voice suddenly said.

They all turned and saw a familiar purple-haired trainer standing there ominously.

"It's Paul!" Dawn exclaimed.

Ash ran up to Paul and said, "So how are you doing, Paul? Win any more badges? I've won three!"

Paul smirked and countered, "Really, only three? I've won four."

He then held out his badge case and opened it. Ash was completely shocked to see that what his rival had said was true. There were four gleaming badges resting in the case.

"Whoa," Barry said in awe. "I've only gotten two badges."

"I only have one," Bianca stated.

"So, you were saying about the Champion being here today?'" Gavin spoke up, trying to change the subject.

"The Champion is coming here to visit and have a battle with another Champion from another region in a day or two," Paul explained.

"Another champion is coming here?" Ash suddenly was filled with excitement.

"That's right," another voice said, walking up to them.

At the sound of the voice, they all looked to see a woman with extremely long blonde hair that covered one of her gray eyes. She wore a black jacket, black dress pants, a fluffy black scarf, and black high heels. She also had black barrettes in her hair that resembled a Lucario's head appendages.

"Cynthia!" Ash and Paul said in unison.

"It's nice to see you two again," The Sinnoh Champion said with a smile.

Then, they all noticed a few people behind her.

"Zoey! Kenny!" Dawn said happily.

"Kelly…and Drew," May said, starting off happy, but then looking a bit irritated. The green-haired coordinator didn't even bother looking at her.

"Hey, Dawn, how's it going?" Zoey asked.

After a few introductions, Zoey looked over to Dawn and said, "By the way, would this Pokémon happen to be one of yours?"

She then pulled a small green blob who was currently sleeping from her coat.

"Solosis!" Dawn said in shock, causing the Pokémon to wake up.

"_So-lo_!" Solosis cried out happily. It immediately flew to its trainer's arms, purring affectionately.

"Don't you ever run off again," Dawn scolded before embracing her Pokémon.

"I'm glad that you two are back together now," Cynthia smiled. "I had just walked into the city when I saw it flying around, looking really lost."

"How did you know that it was Dawn's?" Misty asked.

"It was using telepathy at the time. I could hear it saying '_Dawn_' with its thoughts."

"Whoa," They all said in awe.

"So, Cynthia…," Ash began before Brock brushed right past him towards Cynthia.

"We meet again, my love!" Brock said in a crazed love state, getting down onto his knees. "Though we have been apart for so long, now we can finally be together ag-ACK!"

It was at this point that Croagunk had appeared out of its ball and jabbed Brock in the behind with a Poison Jab. Then, Misty and Max walked over and dragged Brock away by the ears.

"Anyways…," Ash said, trying to get past that awkward moment. "When are you supposed to battle the Amaro Champion?"

"In two days," Cynthia explained. "But first, I have to find my little brother."

"You have a brother?" Barry raised an eyebrow in utter confusion.

"Yes," Cynthia nodded. "He should be arriving soon."

Suddenly, they all heard an engine sound a distance behind them. They all turned to see a man riding a motorcycle straight towards them.

Everyone except Cynthia flinched until the motorcycle screeched to a stop right in front of them. The rider then climbed off of his bike.

He was wearing a black leather jacket, a white t-shirt, a pair of dark navy jeans, brown cowboy boots, black fingerless gloves, and a black motorcyclist's helmet. The girls noticed that he had a very chiseled, muscular body. He also happened to look even taller than Cynthia.

"You're late," Cynthia said as she crossed her arms sternly.

"Oh, come on, sis," The man replied as he took off his helmet. "It's not that big of a deal."

After taking off his helmet, the group was astonished to see that the man had similar gray eyes and blonde hair like Cynthia, but in his case, his blonde hair was short and spiked up.

"This is my younger brother Chris," Cynthia said to the young trainers. "Also known as the Champion of the Amaro Region."

"WHAT?" All of them exclaimed in shock.

"You're the…you're the…Champion?" Barry stammered.

"That's right," Chris said with a grin. "Wait, you're Palmer's kid, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Barry gulped.

"Great to meet ya," Chris gave him a thumbs-up. "Your dad's told me good things about you."

At this point, Barry fainted and fell to the ground to everyone's astonishment. Amazingly though, none of them made any effort whatsoever to help him at all.

"So you're the Champion," Paul suddenly said to him. "In that case, I'd like to challenge you to a battle."

The others stared at Paul in shock. The guy had only been there for about a minute, and Paul was already challenging him to a battle!

"Sure," Chris nodded. "But it'll have to wait. I'm meeting up with an old friend of mine right now."

"An old friend?" Cynthia raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You didn't tell me that you were meeting someone after you met with me."

"Well, it can't be helped," Chris said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "He's pretty eccentric, so I couldn't say no."

"Ah, but there's an old saying about that," They heard an oddly familiar voice called out. "_A civilized society is one which tolerates eccentricity to the point of doubtful sanity_."

"Oh, no," Gavin put his hand to his forehead in irritation of the inevitable. "Please, not _him_."

Gavin didn't get his wish, however, as a familiar cloaked figure jumped down in front of them. He was wearing his usual wide spread black hat, and on his shoulder was a Murkrow with a pink bow on its head.

"Hello, my friends!" Jeremiah waved with a smile on his face.

"Ugh," The group said with annoyance. For some reason, Jeremiah didn't seem to notice.

**(Man, it's like everybody's oblivious today! Weird, huh? I wonder if they'll notice my own fourth wall breakage?)**

They didn't. Jeremiah then looked at Chris and said, "Sorry I'm late, my friend. I had some business to attend to."

"It's alright," Chris grinned. "I was late, too. So, we're even."

"Wait, _he's_ the guy that you were meeting with?" Tracey said in disbelief.

Chris nodded. "So I guess that you guys know him as well?"

"Unfortunately," Max sighed.

"Hurtful!" Jeremiah shouted, mock crying from Max's comment.

"So, now that we have all gotten here, why don't we have that battle now?" Chris suggested, looking towards Paul.

"Sure," Paul nodded.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, everyone was sitting together in the stands of a private battlefield in the Pokémon Center, which happened to be quite larger than one might think.<p>

On the battlefield, Paul and Chris both stood opposite of each other. While Paul had his usual scowl on his face, Chris had on a brimming grin. It was like he lived to battle.

As well, Brock had volunteered to referee the battle. Meanwhile, the others were watching intently, especially Luke, who had his camera out and recording.

"This will be a one-on-one battle! Once one trainer's Pokémon has been knocked out, the other side will be the winner!" Brock told the two opponents. "Now, let the battle begin!"

"Ferrothorn, standby for battle!" Paul said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, a creature resembling a flattened durian made of metal appeared onto the field.

Its body was covered in metal thorns and it had three black stripes circling its width. The middle stripe had triangular decorations below its eyes, which had green rims, yellow scleras, and dark pupils. It also had a green spike at the top of its body, and there were three vine-like, long green appendages tipped with spiky metal disks.

* * *

><p>"Wow, Paul has a new Pokémon," May commented.<p>

Ash nodded and then took out his Pokédex to scan his rival's new Pokémon.

"_Ferrothorn, the Thorn Pod Pok__é__mon. They attach themselves to cave ceilings, firing steel spikes at targets passing beneath them. A hit from one of these spikes can reduce a boulder to rubble._"

* * *

><p>Chris looked at the iron-barbed creature for a moment, and then a grin made its way onto his face.<p>

"Hariyama, battle-flash!" He said as he hurled the ball to the field.

Instantly, a large, hulking sumo wrestler-like creature appeared onto the field in front of the Champion. As it looked at its opponent, it put itself into a fighting stance.

"Paul, you may have the first move," Chris yelled over to his opponent.

"I was planning on it," Paul said with a smirk. "Ferrothorn, use Pin Missile!"

The spikes on Ferrothorn's feelers began to glow white and then it released a barrage of glowing white pins from them at its opponent.

"Hariyama, block it with Arm Thrust!" Chris instructed.

Hariyama's hands began to glow white as it began to thrust them forward as the pins came at it. As each pin came at it, it would hit the pin's sides in such a way that they would be knocked away towards the walls.

"Ferrothorn, use Gyro Ball!" Paul commanded.

Ferrothorn's feelers glowed light blue and it then started to spin rapidly as it headed towards the Arm Thrust Pokémon.

"Blow it back with Whirlwind!" Chris ordered.

Hariyama swung one of its hands to the side and sent a powerful gust of wind at Ferrothorn, who was stopped in its tracks and knocked back several feet.

"Now, Hariyama! Use Belly Drum!" Chris told his Pokémon.

Hariyama began to pound its hands against its belly, each pound sounding like a drum. Its body then took on a red glow.

Paul looked a bit fearful, as he knew that Belly Drum raises a Pokémon's Attack to the maximum. And with a Champion's Pokémon, who knows how high that could be?

"Ferrothorn, hurry and use Iron Head!" He shouted.

Using its feelers to fling itself towards its Fighting-type opponent, Ferrothorn's body began to shine like iron as it rocketed towards Hariyama.

"Hariyama, use Brine!" Chris called out.

Hariyama held out its hands and an orb of light blue water appeared in front of them. It then fired a strong stream of water from the orb at the oncoming Ferrothorn. The stream was so strong that it sent Ferrothorn flying backwards a few yards, landing right in front of its trainer. It struggled to get up and its body was covered in dings and scuff marks.

"Ferrothorn, use Power Whip!" Paul yelled.

Ferrothorn's vine-like feelers took on a light green glow, and it then swung them at the bulky, muscle-bound Pokémon.

"Hariyama, grab those vines!" Chris hollered out.

"What?" Paul said in shock.

Just as Ferrothorn's feelers whipped right at it, Hariyama reached out and swiftly grabbed all three of them.

"Now, finish it off with Vital Throw!" Chris said with confidence.

Hariyama spun it Ferrothorn around like it was a lasso and soon swung it down to the ground, where the Grass/Steel-type landed with a loud "_THUD_!"

Upon impact with the field, Ferrothorn was knocked out cold, and now, it even had swirls in its eyes.

Brock held out his right arm towards Hariyama and said, "Ferrothorn is unable to battle! Therefore, this battle goes to Chris!"

* * *

><p>Paul looked a bit frustrated as he returned Ferrothorn back into its ball, but then his face softened, and he whispered, "You did your best. Thank you."<p>

Paul walked up to Chris and said, "Thank you for the battle."

"You're welcome," Chris grinned. "You were a very good opponent. We'll have to battle again one day."

The Amaro Champion then looked to the small crowd and said, "Okay, anybody else wanna battle?"

Everyone was surprised at this. He had just finished battling, and now he wanted to battle more?

The only one not completely shocked was Cynthia, who rolled her eyes with a smirk on her face. "You never change, do you?"

"Nope," Chris said with a wink. He then looked to the teens expectantly, as if waiting for a challenge.

"I'll do it!" Ash said, raising his hand and waving it frantically.

"Alright, but why don't we make this interesting?" Chris said with a contemplative expression on his face. "Let's have a Tag Battle. Jeremiah, why don't you be my partner?"

"Okay!" Jeremiah said with a creepy looking grin on his face. "So who will be young Ash's partner?"

"I will," Gavin answered, giving Jeremiah a glare.

"Alright then, let's get to it!" Chris confidently smiled.

* * *

><p>Once all four of them had made the decision on who to battle with and made it to the field, the battle was all set to begin.<p>

"Begin!" Brock said to the battlers.

"I choose you…Gigalith!" Ash said as he threw his Pokéball to the field.

In a flash of light, the blue, quadruped Compressed Pokémon from Unova appeared onto the field.

"Flygon, come on out!" Gavin shouted as he tossed his Pokéball into the air.

Instantly, the Mystic Pokémon materialized next to Gigalith and let out a loud cry.

"Drapion, release your inner rage!" Jeremiah hollered out as he flung his Pokéball at the field.

A large, purple scorpion-like creature appeared in front of the cloaked trainer.

"Salamence, battle-flash!" Chris yelled as he hurled his Pokéball towards the battlefield.

In a burst of blue light, a large, blue quadrupedal dragon with red wings and a gray belly appeared onto the field. After it saw its opponents, it let out a roar filled with power.

* * *

><p>At the sight of the powerful-looking Dragon Pokémon, Cynthia smiled and chuckled a bit.<p>

The others in the stands, including Paul, looked at her curiously. Cynthia immediately noticed and chuckled some more.

"If you're wondering what I'm laughing about," She started, "it's that the Salamence that you see on the field now was my brother's first Pokémon and his most powerful."

The others looked at her in astonishment and then back at the field.

'_If that Hariyama of his was as powerful as it was_,' Paul thought, '_then I can't even imagine how powerful that Salamence is_.'

* * *

><p>"Gigalith, use Stone Edge on Drapion!" Ash commanded.<p>

Gigalith's body became outlined in white and two rings of multiple white pointed energy orbs appeared and floated around its body. The white glow faded, and the white energy orbs formed into multiple gray jagged rocks. Gigalith then lowered its head and fired the stones at the Ogre Scorp Pokémon.

"Flygon, use DragonBreath on Salamence!" Gavin ordered.

Flygon opened its mouth and released a light blue beam of air at the Dragon/Flying-type.

"Drapion, block those stones with Cross Poison!" Jeremiah instructed.

Drapion crossed its arms above its head and its claws started to glow a toxic purple color. A purple "X" then appeared in front of its crossed arms and it opened its hands, firing the "X" at Gigalith's attack.

"Salamence, intercept with Dragon Pulse!" Chris directed.

Salamence opened its mouth and a turquoise ball of energy appeared in front of it. It then fired the orb at Flygon's DragonBreath.

As the attacks collided, two separate explosions occurred, covering the field with smoke. Once it cleared, the battle was all set to resume.

"Salamence, show them your Steel Wing!" Chris proclaimed.

Salamence took off into the air and began heading straight towards Flygon, its wings now taking on a metallic glow.

"Drapion, use Poison Fang!" Jeremiah declared.

Drapion jumped into the air and started to fall down towards Gigalith, its bottom fangs and claws glowing purple.

Ash and Gavin looked at each other for a moment, nodded, and then both yelled in unison, "Stop them with Sandstorm!"

Flygon began to rapidly flap its wings and Gigalith's red crystals began to glow bright red. Then, a large sandstorm was whipped up, causing Salamence and Drapion to stop in their tracks and cease their attacks.

* * *

><p>"That was smart," Gary said with a grin.<p>

"What do you mean?" May asked.

"You see, Sandstorm affects every type except for Rock, Ground, and Steel-types," Tracey explained.

"And since Gigalith is a Rock-type and Flygon is part Ground-type, they won't be affected by the storm," Max finished.

"So they have the advantage!" Dawn exclaimed happily.

"Not necessarily," Paul said as he watched the field. "Salamence is part Flying, so it could probably just blow away the storm."

"And if Drapion has an attack up its sleeve for this, then they could lose their advantage," Zoey stated.

Paul looked at Zoey and smiled, completely impressed by her knowledge of battling. Meanwhile, Drew was glaring at May, who didn't seem to notice.

"Why do I get the feeling that there's something going on that we don't know about?" Barry, now revived, thought out loud.

"It's probably better not to ask," Stephan answered.

* * *

><p>"Drapion, use Whirlwind to blow that storm away," Jeremiah said with a smile.<p>

Drapion took a deep breath and then released a huge gust of wind that immediately blew all of the sand away. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a side-effect…

"Aw, geez!" Ash said as he grabbed his nose.

"Pika!" Pikachu coughed.

"Drapion's breath smells nasty!" Gavin commented as he struggled to breathe.

"Pi-chu!" Pichu nodded in agreement.

"Fly!" Flygon said as it landed and tried to use its wings to cover its nose.

The only one on their side that was not affected was Gigalith.

"Giga-lith-lith," Gigalith grunted with a grin. ("No nose, baby.")

"Salamence, use Dragon Claw!" Chris told his Pokémon.

Salamence flew rapidly towards Flygon and slashed it with glowing light blue claws.

"Drapion, use Earthquake!" Jeremiah commanded.

Drapion stomped its feet into the ground and caused the field to rumble and shake, putting Gigalith off balance.

"Flygon, let's try to end this quick with Draco Meteor!" Gavin shouted.

"Gigalith, you help as well with Flash Cannon!" Ash yelled.

"Salamence, use Giga Impact!" Chris ordered.

"Drapion, take them down with Sludge Bomb!" Jeremiah instructed.

Flygon opened its mouth and launched a glowing orange orb that split apart into multiple orange meteors that sped towards their targets horizontally instead of coming down from the sky.

Gigalith's body became outlined in white energy and the energy started to gather inside of its mouth. It then fired a white and pale blue beam from its mouth at the opponents. The meteors from Flygon's attack next surrounded the metallic beam and began to circle it as the attack flew towards Salamence and Drapion.

Unfortunately, Drapion opened its mouth and fired a barrage of brown sludge globs at the combined attack, causing an explosion in the middle of the field.

Then, Salamence began rocketing towards Ash and Gavin's Pokémon, its body now surrounded by purple energy and orange streaks of energy spiraling around it. Before Flygon and Gigalith could dodge, they were struck by Salamence's attack and were knocked down to the ground.

As the smoke cleared, everyone was shocked to see Flygon and Gigalith both lying on the ground with swirls in their eyes.

"Flygon and Gigalith are both unable to battle!" Brock said to everyone. "The victory goes to Chris and Jeremiah!"

* * *

><p>After they all recalled their Pokémon, all of the opponents shook hands with one another.<p>

"That was a great battle, you two," Chris said with a grin. "I can see why Jeremiah speaks so highly of you two."

"Really?" Gavin and Ash said in unison. They looked towards where Jeremiah was standing, but were completely shocked to see that the cloaked man was gone.

"Don't worry. He does that a lot," Chris reassured them. "Now, why don't we all go get our Pokémon healed?"

With that, the three of them, along with everyone else, headed towards the lobby of the Pokémon Center.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, inside of a nearby museum, a trench-coated figure stood close to a certain display containing a blue crystal.<p>

"Almost time, my sweet," She said with a smile. "Almost time."

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 44: "The Return of Team Umbra, Part 2: Day in the Museum"<span>_- After a day of battles with the Amaro Champion, our heroes go on an exclusive tour with the brother and sister Champions through the Noctae Museum, where they meet an old friend from Sinnoh and a mysterious curator. But what happens when both Team Rocket and Team Umbra attack at the same time? Tune in to find out!

**And there you have it! The introduction of the Amaro Champion, the return of both Cynthia and Jeremiah, Gigalith's League of Ultimates battle premiere, a new Pokemon for Paul, and the meeting of some of the well-known Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova rivals! Plus, Team Umbra is about to strike! What will happen next? You'll have to wait and see!**

**Many of you guys were probably thinking, "Oh, Jeremiah has got to be the Champion, no doubt." Well, those theories went down the drain with this chapter, now didn't they? **

**Now, I don't know if I'll be able to update this story next week because of a research paper that I have to work on, but I'll try! And with any luck, I can update my other story, "Pokemon Fusion Warriors" as well! By the way, I am accepting OCs for that story, so if you want to submit one, go read it for the details! By the way, if you submitted an OC for the tournament, you will definitely get in!  
><strong>

**Also, a few more advertisements: All four of The Shiny Gengar's latest fics! They're awesome, and I can't wait for his next big fic! xTheODSTx's "Sapphire Desire," which I am helping him out with! KJC71790's spin-off story for my story, "League of Ultimate's Spin Off****: Hoenn Adventures." It's just starting out, but he is getting better at it! As well, Darkiceflame's "Along the Road of Ultimates" and beastmode953's "Fanfiction Love Story." They haven't updated in a while, but if we keep pelting them with reviews, maybe we can get them to update! Also, I was asked ****to advertise godly345's "Next Generation of Masters." It's a 64 OC tournament, and I don't know how many spots are left, so please help him out by submitting OCs! Oh, and don't forget to read my new Advanceshipping one-shot****, "Library Flowers!" **

**One last thing, SSJO4 Mewtwo passed away on the 15th and was buried the 19th. In his honor, I dedicate this chapter to him. Rest in Peace, SSJO4 Mewtwo.**

**Well, that's all I have to say. Okay, see ya!**


	44. Chapter 44

**Hey, guys! Sorry that this is so late! I hope that the action and suspense make up for it though! Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**_  
><em>

_Chapter 44: "The Return of Team Umbra, Part 2: Day in the Museum"_

"Ooh! I can't believe that we're watching the Slateport City Contest!" May squealed from the couch that she was sitting on next to Ash.

It had been a few hours since the battles that they had had with the Amaro League Champion Chris. After they had finished, everyone had split up to do different things.

Misty, Leaf, and Iris had all decided to go to the mall together in order to actually enjoy it without having to deal with May and Dawn's shopaholic tendencies. Meanwhile, Gary, Tracey, Max, and Cilan had all decided to check out the Noctae City Library.

Bianca, along with Georgia, Stephan, and Luke, had all gone to scope out the city while Burgundy went off on her own in order to stalk Cilan and plot his demise. Zoey, Kenny, and Kelly had decided to practice their Contest techniques and Paul for some strange reason decided to watch.

The two Champion siblings had gone off to spend some time together, and Drew had simply disappeared. Nobody knew where he had gone.

Anyways, this left Ash, May, Dawn, Gavin, and their Pokémon to watch the Slateport City Pokémon Contest on TV in the lobby of the Pokémon Center.

"I know, right?" Dawn agreed, just as excited as her best friend was. The blunette was currently sitting by Gavin on the couch adjacent to Ash and May's.

Ash and Gavin both sighed in unison. They would rather be practicing for Ash's next gym battle right now, but after the girls had given them the dreaded puppy-dog eyes, they had been forced to watch the Pokémon Contest with them.

The same went for their Pokémon. May had brought out her Skitty and Glaceon to watch with her and Dawn had done the same with Piplup and Buneary. Currently, both Glaceon and Buneary were on either side of Pikachu, gazing up at him lovingly and Skitty had found a nice seat for herself next to Meowth. Meanwhile, Pichu was next to Gavin with his arms crossed and a pouting expression on his face.

"Pi-chu-chu-chu-pi-pi-chu-pi-chu-pi-chu?" Pichu muttered to himself. ("Why am I the only one without a date?")

On the TV, the contest was just getting started as Vivian Meridian appeared on the screen to announce the first coordinator.

* * *

><p>(Slateport City Contest Hall – Hoenn Region)<p>

"_And our first coordinator will be the world famous Top Coordinator Marina from New Bark Town!" Vivian said as she extended her hand towards where a girl with light blue hair that had been put into pig-tails and light blue eyes appeared onto the stage. She was wearing a particularly stunning purple strapless dress._

"_Time for the show!" Marina said with a smile. "Little Miss! Center stage!"_

_She then threw a Pok__é__ball into the air, and in a flash of light, the aforementioned Screech Pok__é__mon appeared above the stage. _

"_Mis-dreavus," Little Miss said as the crowd cheered for it._

"_Now, Little Miss! Use Psybeam and give it a twirl!" Marina commanded._

_Little Miss floated higher into the air and then released a magenta beam of energy with multicolored particles from its eyes. It then began to twirl around and make it look like the beam was a ribbon that it was twirling._

"_What a sight!" Slateport City's Nurse Joy said in awe._

_Then, Little Miss continued to twirl around faster and faster until it managed to create a rainbow above it with the Psybeam ribbon. The crowd then managed to work its way into a frenzy of cheers as Marina and Little Miss finished their appeal._

(End Appeal)

* * *

><p>"That's awesome!" May commented.<p>

"She's really talented!" Dawn remarked.

The four of them then heard Vivian say on the television, "_Up next, we have Kyle J. Chang, another coordinator from New Bark Town!_"

"Hey, wasn't he in the Kafue Town Battle Tournament with us just a week ago?" Ash thought out loud.

"Yeah, I wonder how he got all of the way to Slateport City so fast," Gavin wondered.

The four of them just shrugged and proceeded to watch the Johto native's appeal.

* * *

><p>(Slateport City Contest Hall – Hoenn Region)<p>

_"Beautifly, go get 'em!" Kyle, who was wearing a blue suit, a purple vest, and a top hat, said as he hurled a Pok__é__ball into the air._

_ In a burst of blue light, the Hoenn-born Butterfly Pok__é__mon appeared in the air, ready to appeal._

_ "Start off with Whirlwind and finish it off with Stun Spore!" Kyle ordered._

_ Beautifly began to flap its wings at a high speed, creating a gust of wind that seemed to form into a mini tornado. Then, it released a wave of sparkling golden powder from its wings into the wind, causing the cyclone to sparkle and turn gold in color. _

_ The audience was awe-stricken and continued to watch the appeal in astonishment._

_ Finally, the tornado burst into a multitude of golden sparkles that shimmered throughout the air above the stage._

_ "What a performance!" Mr. Contesta said as Kyle and Beautifly finished their appeal._

(End Appeal)

* * *

><p>"Whoa," Gavin said, impressed. "Kyle sure knows how to make an entrance."<p>

"_And now, we have Nikki Avalon from Valor Lakefront!_" Vivian announced.

"Huh," May said with a thoughtful look on her face. "That means that she might have been there at the Wallace Cup!"

* * *

><p>(Slateport City Contest Hall – Hoenn Region)<p>

_It was just as May said as a girl with short brown hair and green eyes, wearing a pink strapless dress, ran onto the stage._

_ "Jolteon, I call upon you now! Release and appear!" Nikki said as she tossed her Pok__é__ball to the stage._

_ In a flash of blue light, the Lightning Pok__é__mon appeared onto the field._

_ "Jolteon, begin with Pin Missile!" Nikki called out._

_ Jolteon's fur became spiky and it then fired yellow needles from its fur all around it._

_ "Now, use Thunder!" Nikki instructed._

_ Jolteon fired a massive beam of yellow electricity from its body at all of the needles, causing all of them to explode like fireworks._

_ As the crowd cheered, the judges, who were now wearing sunglasses, loved it as well._

_ "Remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo said with a smile._

(End Appeal)

* * *

><p>After they watched a few more appeals, Ash and the others watched and saw that Kyle, Marina, and Nikki all three made it to the double battle round.<p>

Unfortunately, Kyle and Marina had been paired up for the first battle, so now they had to watch as the two New Bark Town natives battled it out.

* * *

><p>(Slateport City Contest Hall – Hoenn Region)<p>

_"Espeon, Beautifly! Go get 'em!" Kyle said as he threw two Pok__é__balls to the stage. _

_ The Sun Pok__é__mon and the Butterfly Pok__é__mon immediately materialized onto the contest stage. _

_ "Little Miss, Little Pink! Center stage!" Marina cried out as she tossed her two Pok__é__balls into the air._

_ Instantly, Little Miss and a green-eyed Jigglypuff appeared in front of her on the stage._

_ "There's five minutes on the clock," Vivian told the crowd. "Now begin!"_

_ "Espeon, show them your Attract!" Kyle yelled._

_ Espeon winked at the opponents and then multiple pink hearts with pink sparkles around them came out of its eye and floated towards its opponents._

_ Surprisingly, as the hearts went into the two Pok__é__mon, the attack seemed to do nothing. _

_ "Aren't you forgetting something, Kyle?" Marina teased._

_ "Oh, shoot," Kyle said as he face-palmed himself. "I forgot that both of your Pok__é__mon are girls, too."_

_ "That's right," Marina winked. "Now, Little Miss, you use Perish Song and Little Pink, you use Psychic!"_

_ Little Miss began to sing loudly and black waves of energy came out of its mouth. Little Pink's eyes glowed light blue as it began to control the black waves of energy psychically and send them straight at Espeon and Beautifly._

_ "Espeon, use Psychic as well and Beautifly, use Stun Spore!" Kyle shouted._

_ Beautifly flapped its wings rapidly, releasing a cloud of sparkling golden powder. Espeon's eyes then glowed light blue and the cloud was outlined in the same color, allowing Espeon to control the cloud and send it right at Marina's Pok__é__mon._

_ The audience was in awe as the cloud covered Little Miss and Little Pink, causing the two of them to cough._

_ "Little Miss and Little Pink! Put them to sleep with Perish Song and Sing!" Marina told her Pok__é__mon._

_Little Miss once again released a sonic blast of black sound waves. As well, Little Pink released colored musical notes from its mouth as it sung its lullaby._

_ Suddenly, the combined power of the two musical attacks caused both Espeon and Beautifly to fall asleep. As they slumbered peacefully, crimson shockwaves covered all four of the Pok__é__mon on the stage's bodies._

_ "Now, let's finish them off with Psybeam and Hyper Voice!" Marina directed._

_ While Little Miss released the Psychic beam of energy from its eyes, Little Pink's eyes began to glow light blue and it then fired multiple transparent rings outlined in light blue from its mouth at Kyle's Pok__é__mon. The two attacks combined and created what kind of looked like a pink death-ray that engulfed both Espeon and Beautifly in a small explosion._

_ As the smoke cleared, everyone could see that both Pok__é__mon had been knocked out by the blast. _

_ "Because both of Kyle's Pok__é__mon have been knocked out," Vivian began, "Marina is declared the winner of this battle, and will move on to the next round!"_

(End Battle)

* * *

><p>After that, they continued to watch as Nikki managed to win the final battle of the contest against Marina with her Jolteon and Staraptor.<p>

"What a great contest!" May said happily.

"I still can't believe that Kyle lost to Marina," Dawn commented.

"Well, she is one of the world's best coordinators," Gavin said. His cousin nodded in agreement.

"Ahem," Ash and Gavin practically jumped at the angry looks that both May and Dawn were giving them.

"Except for you two," The two cousins both nervously said in unison.

"That's what we thought you said," May and Dawn said with menacing smirks on their faces.

Meanwhile, Pikachu and Meowth were both continuing to feel uncomfortable as they were surrounded by female Pokémon.

"Pika-pika-chu-pika-chu-chu," Pikachu said while sweat dropping. ("This is getting awkward.")

"Yeah, tell me about it," Meowth groaned.

Strangely, Glaceon, Buneary, and Skitty didn't even notice them speaking, although Pichu did.

"Pi-pi-chu-chu," Pichu grimaced. ("I hate Mondays.")

* * *

><p>The next day, the group woke up and decided to go to the nearby Noctae City Museum. As usual, some of them were more excited than others.<p>

"I've heard this place is supposed to be so cool!" Max said enthusiastically. "There's gonna be fossils and moon rocks and jewels and…"

Suddenly, May gave him a chop to the head and said, "And hopefully, silence."

"I did hear that this museum has more in it than the other museums in the other regions," Brock commented.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Leaf asked. "Let's go!"

With that, they all began to run down the sidewalk towards their destination.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, they had arrived, and surprisingly, there were several people there that seemed to be waiting for them.<p>

"Hey, guys!" Barry waved frantically. "You made it just in time, so I don't have to fine you!"

"Just in time for what?" Iris inquired.

Before Barry could answer, Bianca got in front of him and blurted out, "Cynthia and Chris said that they were going to give us an exclusive tour of the museum!"

"Hey! I was gonna say that!" Barry complained. "I oughta fine you for that!"

"Okay, how much money do you want?" Bianca comically asked as she brought up her purse.

Barry's eyes went wide in surprise. Nobody had ever taken his "finings" seriously. What was up with this girl anyways?

While the oblivious Bianca was making Barry's mind go blank, everyone else turned to see five people walking out of the museum up to them.

"Hey, guys!" Chris said coolly. "You ready for that tour?"

"Yeah!" Most of them said enthusiastically, with the exception of Gary, Paul, and Drew.

"By the way, I heard that a few of you know my grandmother?" Chris said, gesturing towards the older woman beside him with grayish-blonde hair and gray eyes.

"Professor Carolina!" Ash exclaimed.

"What are you doing here?" Dawn asked.

"Well, after the events in Sinnoh, they asked me to come have a look at the Noctae City Museum," The woman explained. "And also to watch my granddaughter kick my grandson's butt!"

"Hey!" Chris said with an annoyed look on his face. "Why are you rooting for her?"

"Oh, don't worry about her, Chris," Cynthia said, trying to stop them before they got into an argument. Then, the Sinnoh Champion gestured over towards one of the two other people there and said, "And some of you might know Looker?"

"Hey, it's the Lunchbox Guy!" Meowth said with surprise as he saw the black-haired agent of the International Police.

"It's nice to see you all again," Looker smiled. He looked over all of them until his eyes stopped on Gavin.

Gavin flinched and frantically shook his head when no one but Looker was watching. Looker gave a slight nod of understanding that the others didn't pick up, and suddenly, the other man cleared his throat.

"I think that it's high time that we start this tour, would you not all agree?" He said with a frown.

Gavin found the man kind of odd. He was pretty tall and was wearing a gray suit that you would find on a business man. He had short and spiky hair that was jet black and close to pale skin. As well, he also had deep scarlet eyes.

"Oh, yes," Professor Carolina said as she looked towards the man. "Everyone, this is Damien Black, the curator of museum. He's the one that's going to be giving us that tour today."

"A pleasure," His lips curled with discomfort.

There was something about this man that Gavin didn't like. Could this be the agent of Team Umbra that he had been told to go after?

His thoughts aside, they all began to walk inside for the tour, unaware that several different people were watching them all closely.

* * *

><p>"It's time," A cloaked figure said in a feminine voice. All around her were a large group of cloaked men and right by her side was a purple leopard-like creature. "Execute Plan Alpha."<p>

* * *

><p>"It's time," A red-haired woman said to a blue-haired man and several grunts that were behind them. "Execute Plan Omega."<p>

* * *

><p>"It's time," A hat-wearing man said to a Murkrow on his shoulder. "Execute Plan Puppet."<p>

* * *

><p>As the teens all stepped inside, almost all of them were filled with awe and wonder at all of the sights that the museum had to offer.<p>

All around them were suits of armor, fossils of the prehistoric Pokémon of the past, and gems as far as the eye could see. Ancient artifacts abound, but one item in particular caught Cilan's attention.

"Uh, what's that?" The Pokémon connoisseur asked, pointing a short distance away.

Damien turned in the direction that Cilan was pointing and his gaze softened.

What they were all now looking at was a glass case, and within that case was a small blue jewel that looked perfectly crafted. There was not a flaw on it. As well, if one looked closely at it, there seemed to be an inner glow within the jewel that made it sparkle brightly.

"Ah," He began, a smile creeping up on his face. "That there is the ancient and priceless jewel known as the 'Jewel of Willpower.'"

"The Jewel of Willpower?" Stephan repeated.

"Yes," Damien nodded. "Do any of you know about the legend of how the Amaro Region was created?"

Everyone shook their heads slowly, so Damien began to elaborate.

"You see, a long time ago, Arceus created this region with the help of his children, the legends of Time and Space. As well, three jewels were placed in different spots in the region that held the powers of three of his other children, the Sinnoh lake guardians.

"The three jewels are known as the Jewel of Emotion, the Jewel of Willpower, and the Jewel of Knowledge. Now, this is the only jewel that has been found as of yet, but the legend says that if someone finds all three of these jewels and brings them together, they will be able to unlock the powers of the guardians of Time, Space, and Distortion. Ultimately, this can also lead to unlocking the powers of Arceus himself."

The teens were all in awe. The power of Arceus?

* * *

><p>Their trains of thought were broken, however, when suddenly, a few suits of armor behind them began to rattle and shake.<p>

"Huh?" Georgia said with a confusion expression on her face. "What's going on?"

Then, as soon as the Unova native finished saying this, all of the suits of armor became surrounded by a dark-purple aura and began to walk straight towards them.

"Th-they're…they're moving!" Kenny exclaimed in shock.

"And they're not the only ones!" Luke added.

As quick as the suits of armor had seemingly came to life, the same could be said for the prehistoric Pokémon fossils of Kabutops, Armaldo, Carracosta, and other fossils.

Soon enough, they were all surrounded by knights and skeletons, all surrounded by a dark-purple aura. It was as if the entire museum had come to life.

"What do we do?" Burgundy asked, not looking as confident as she was earlier.

Everyone was dumbfounded until they heard a voice say, "What do you think? We fight them!"

Everyone turned and saw that it was Drew who had said this. A serious look was on his face as he took out a Pokéball and threw it into the air, yelling, "Absol, go!"

In a flash of light, the Disaster Pokémon appeared beside him, looking ready to fight.

"Absol, use Razor Wind!" Drew commanded.

The scythe on Absol's head glowed white and it swung its head, sending out a white crescent blade of energy at one of the suits of armor, immediately causing it to fall apart.

The others' jaws hung wide open at the sight of this until Paul brought them back to their senses as he growled, "Well, don't just stand there! Help him out!"

The purple-haired trainer then hurled a Pokéball out in front of him while shouting, "Ninjask, standby for battle!"

Instantly, the Ninja Pokémon materialized beside him, swiping its claws a couple of times at a fast speed.

"Pupitar, I choose you!" Ash said as he tossed a Pokéball into the air.

The Hard Shell Pokémon appeared in front of him, looking prepared for a fierce battle.

"Weavile, come on out!" Gavin yelled as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, the Sharp Claw Pokémon appeared and prepared its guard.

A few minutes later, there others had sent out a multitude of Pokémon to fight against the armor and the fossils. The Champions nodded to each other, feeling that the teens could handle it themselves.

"Piplup, use BubbleBeam!" Dawn instructed.

Piplup opened its mouth and released a barrage of blue bubbles at one of the fossils, forcing it back a little.

"Forretress, use Rapid Spin!" Brock ordered.

The Bagworm Pokémon pulled its horns into its body and began to spin rapidly, knocking over many of the ghostly suits of armor.

"Be careful of the artifacts!" Damien scolded.

"If we don't do something quick, the artifacts won't be so careful with us!" Georgia snapped back. "Beartic, use Icicle Crash!"

The large, polar bear-like creature took in a deep breath before releasing a wind with light blue sparkles in it from its mouth into the air. Then, small clumps of ice formed in the wind, growing larger and larger until they formed into sharp icicles that rained down upon the skeletons.

"Sawsbuck, use Horn Leech!" Burgundy shouted.

Sawsbuck lowered its head and its horns became surrounded in orange. Its horns then started to glow gold and it charged at the enemies, stabbing its horns straight through them.

"Glameow, use Shadow Claw!" Zoey told her Pokémon.

Glameow held out its paw and its lower arm became surrounded by a black aura with a purple outline. The aura then took the form of a huge claw and Glameow slashed a suit of armor with it.

"Empoleon, use Hydro Cannon!" Barry called out.

Empoleon opened its mouth and fired a large blue orb of water that knocked down several skeletons and suits of armor.

All of them continued to fight as hard as they could to stop the armor and skeletons, but every time they knocked one down, a mysterious force seemed to pull the parts back together. It was like a never-ending battle.

'_Something's not right_,' Gavin thought as he observed this phenomenon. Then, his eyes widened as a thought struck him. He looked around really fast until something caught his eye.

"Pichu, use Thundershock right over there!" Gavin hollered out, pointing at a certain spot.

"Pi-chuuuuuuu!" Pichu cried out as he released a bolt of yellow electricity in the direction that his trainer had indicated. Strangely enough, the electricity outlined a small, invisible creature that became visible after it had been electrocuted.

Now laying on the ground unconscious was a diminutive hominid-like creature with a dark purple body, gemstone-like eyes, a gemstone on its chest, and razor sharp teeth.

Gavin took out his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

"_Sableye, the Darkness Pok__é__mon. It usually lives in caves and eats rocks. Its diet of gems has transformed its eyes into gemstones. To get the gems that it eats, it uses its sharp claws to dig for them._"

"So that's it!" Gavin exclaimed. "Weavile, use Foresight!"

Weavile nodded and then its eyes and body outline began to glow light blue. It then released a large light blue force field from its body that expanded all around them.

After the force field went over the suits of armor and skeletons, not only were multiple Sableye revealed to be controlling the artifacts, but it also revealed a group of cloaked figures that had been commanding the Sableye.

"So it was those Sableye who were making the artifacts move!" Misty said in shock.

"That's right," They suddenly heard a voice say.

The cloaked figures all removed their cloaks and everyone was surprised to see that they were wearing black uniforms similar to many of the evil teams that they had met before, except this time, they had the symbol that they had seen on the submarine back in Grenia Cove: a white skull with a crescent moon behind it and a single star above the top left-hand corner of the skull.

"It's Team Umbra!" Max cried out.

"Who?" Kenny asked.

"They're a sinister group who is always followed by darkness," Chris said with anger in his voice.

"So these are the fiends that have been causing all the trouble in the Amaro Region lately," Looker said as he glared at the grunts.

"Oh, so you do know of us," The voice spoke again.

The grunts moved apart, allowing a single figure to walk up to them.

It was a woman with long, silver hair and silver eyes. She was tall and looked physically fit. Her uniform, which was black as well, but had a skirt to it, showed off the curves that her body had. She was beautiful, but yet sinisterly frightening.

"Who are you, exactly?" Cynthia asked.

"I am one of Team Umbra's three generals, Eclipse," The woman smirked. "And we are here for the Jewel of Willpower."

"No way!" Damien said as he got in front of the case with the blue gem in it. "I won't let you fiends have it!"

"Oh, come now," Eclipse said with a sneer. "We already have the Jewel of Emotion, and once we have this one, we'll need only one more jewel to become one step closer to achieving our ultimate goal: to take hold of the powers of Arceus and use them to throw the entire world into eternal darkness."

Everyone flinched at these words. They had one of the jewels already? And they were going to use them to get the powers of Arceus and throw the world into eternal darkness? That didn't sound too good.

"If you're all just stand there gawking, we'll go ahead and take the jewel," Eclipse said as she pulled out a Pokéball. She threw it up into the air, and in a flash of light, a Liepard appeared beside her.

"Lie-pard!" The Cruel Pokémon snarled menacingly.

Before she could call out a command, however, an explosion occurred behind the case and smoke covered up the room.

"What's going on now?" Leaf coughed.

They all then heard two very familiar laughs from behind the smokescreen.

As the smoke cleared, they saw a man with blue hair and a woman with red hair wearing uniforms with a red letter "R" on each of them.

"Team Rocket!" Ash yelled angrily.

"Did someone call our name?"

"Surely we're not to blame!"

"Putting the world in devastation!"

"Uniting all within the new sensation!"

"Thrusting the black dust of shadows throughout the age!"

"Blinding all with the power of our rage!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Causing evil and chaos wherever we show!"

"Stealing Pokémon is the way we go!"

"Now say good-bye for our rhyme is done!"

Suddenly, a Pokéball on Jessie's belt opened up and a Pokémon appeared in between the two of them. However, it wasn't the usual Marowak.

It was a tall, cyan-colored blob-like creature with a black tail with two eye spots on it, flipper-like arms, a crooked expression on its face, and four legs at its base.

"Wob-buffet!" It said with an evil grin.

"Wobbuffet!" Meowth exclaimed in disbelief. "The blue blob is back?"

"And he's not the only one," Jessie said with a smirk.

"Here to help us capture the jewel are some old friends of ours," James sneered.

They both then each threw a Pokéball into the air, and in a flash of light, two Pokémon appeared in front of them.

One was a large, purple snake-like creature with a face on its belly, and the other was a large, floating purple blob that had two heads stuck together and several holes on its body.

"Cha-bok!" The snake hissed.

"Wee-zing!" The blob wheezed.

"Arbok and Weezing!" Meowth said in shock.

And as all of this was happening, Jeremiah and Mimi watched with concern in their eyes and serious looks on their faces.

What will happen now? Not only are they surrounded by Team Umbra, but also by Team Rocket, who has brought back some deadly old friends! Will our heroes be able to get out of this? Stay tuned to find out!

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 45: "The Return of Team Umbra, Part 3: Total Eclipse"<span>_- Our heroes our now trapped between two evil forces and now have to find a way out! But will they be able to save themselves _and _the Jewel of Willpower as well? Find out next time!

**I hope that you liked it! Read and Review! **

**Okay, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we're only one chapter away from the movie fic, "Kyurem and the Hero's Sword!" The bad news is that because of projects, work, and my finals in the next two weeks, I will not be updating any of my stories until after my finals. I wish that I didn't have to, but I've got way too much studying to do to be able to update. As soon as my finals are over, which will be by the 27th of this month, I will work on and upload Chapter 45 of this story, Chapters 7-10 of Fusion Warriors, and then, I will begin the movie fic and put all of my focus on writing it and completing it. Until then, though, I'll see ya!**

**Oh, one more thing! For the first part of the chapter, I adapted the latest chapter of KJC71790's spin-off story of my story called "League of Ultimate's Spin-Off: Hoenn Adventures. It's not completely the same as he wrote it because I had to "ultimize" it, so that's why it's different. Just wanted to tell you all that.  
><strong>


	45. Chapter 45

**I'm not dead! Man, I've always wanted to say that! Okay, I'll give you guys an explanation and some information at the end of the chapter, but until then, read on and enjoy the chapter! I hope you like it and it makes up for my absence!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon and probably never will. **

_Chapter 45: "The Return of Team Umbra, Part 3: Total Eclipse"_

(Intro with scenes from the previous chapter)

Last time on "Pokémon: League of Ultimates", we saw Ash and the others meet up with the two Champion siblings, Professor Carolina, Looker, and Damien Black, the curator of the Noctae City Museum for an exclusive tour. Then, however, everything went sour when both Team Umbra and Team Rocket appeared to steal the Jewel of Willpower! Will our heroes be able to stop the two teams?

* * *

><p>(Outside of the Noctae City Museum)<p>

"Move it! Move it!" A frustrated Officer Jenny said as she motioned for all of the officers in her command to surround the Noctae City Museum.

"Yes, sir!" The officers all said completely in sync as they all took their places around the building. In a matter of minutes, they had completely surrounded the museum.

As well, there were many Growlithe, Herdier, and other Police Pokémon there to help in case they were needed.

"Sir!" One of the officers said to Jenny, saluting to his superior. "We have the building surrounded! There's no chance that either team will be able to escape!"

"Good work," Officer Jenny nodded. She then looked to the museum with a bit of concern. What could possibly be going on in there?

* * *

><p>(Inside of the Museum)<p>

Ash gritted his teeth as he looked at the two villainous teams that were currently surrounding them.

On one side stood some members of Team Umbra, all wearing black uniforms with a symbol of a white skull with a crescent moon behind it and a single star above the top left-hand corner of the skull. Standing in front of them was Eclipse, a woman with long, silver hair and silver-colored eyes who looked to be extremely sinister, especially with her Liepard by her side.

On the other side were some agents of Team Rocket, including Jessie and James, who had sent out three Pokémon that Ash looked upon with a little bit of distaste in his mouth: Arbok, Weezing, and Wobbuffet.

'_So how are we going to get out of this one_?' The Pallet Town native thought as sweat went down his brow.

Ash looked over at the others. All of them looked just as nervous as he did. Even Paul looked uneasy at the impending threat of the two criminal teams.

He then looked over at May. There was a large amount of fear emanating from her usually cheerful-looking sapphire blue eyes. Ash now knew that he had to do something, but what?

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard Eclipse say, "Well, if it isn't Team Rocket, the criminal organization feared all throughout the Kanto Region. Funny, you don't look all that scary to me."

Instead of going into her usually unstoppable rage, Jessie just sneered and said, "That's some tough talk coming from an organization that's afraid to show themselves out in the open. Why don't you just run along while we take this jewel off of the museum's hands?"

"None of you are getting this jewel!" Damien yelled with an angry look in his eyes. "It is a priceless artifact that belongs to the museum!"

Before he could say more, however, Eclipse's Liepard jumped in front of the curator and crouched down into a pouncing position. It gave a terrifying snarl that caused everyone to wince.

"Can it, curator," Eclipse said with an angry look on her face. "Now, if any of you wish to get out alive, you will hand over that jewel!"

"Fat chance," Chris retorted. He then took out a Pokéball and threw it into the air while yelling, "Salamence, battle-flash!"

In a flash of light, the large and powerful-looking Dragon Pokémon appeared in front of him and gave out a roar that made the hairs on the back of Ash's neck stand up.

"Interesting," Eclipse said with a look of intrigue on her face. "I guess I shouldn't expect any less from the Champion of the Amaro Region. Let's see if you're as powerful as they all say. Liepard, use Hyper Beam!"

Liepard opened its mouth and a pink orb of energy with white energy outlining it appeared in front of it. It then fired a powerful red beam of energy surrounded by white energy out at the Dragon/Flying-type.

"Dragon Pulse," Chris commanded.

Salamence opened its mouth and fired a turquoise ball of energy out at Liepard's attack. The two attacks collided and then exploded in mid-air.

"Well, while they're fighting, we might as well take the jewel," James said with a smirk. "Weezing, use Sludge Bomb!"

Weezing opened its mouths and released a barrage of brown balls of sludge out at the teens that were in front of the jewel.

"Toxicroak, block that attack with Dark Pulse!" Looker shouted as he threw a Pokéball up into the air.

Instantly, a teal-colored, humanoid frog-like creature appeared in front of the International Police Officer. Strangely, it was wearing a hat that one would usually see a police officer wear, but with a small opening at the top that allowed the spike on its head to stick out.

The Toxic Mouth Pokémon put its hands together and created a ball of black and purple circles. It then hurled the ball out as a beam of circles at Weezing's attack. As the two attacks met one another, an explosion of smog occurred.

"Arbok, stop that frog with Dragon Tail!" Jessie ordered.

Arbok began to slither towards Toxicroak before it sprung into the air and began to come down towards it with a glowing light blue tail.

"Garchomp, protect Arbok with Brick Break!" Cynthia instructed as she tossed her Pokéball out at the two Pokémon.

Just as Arbok was about to strike, the Mach Pokémon appeared and blocked its attack with a glowing white fin on one of its arms. Sparks flew as the two attacks pushed against one another.

Suddenly, Cynthia turned towards Ash and said, "Take the jewel and run, kids! We'll hold them off for as long as we can!"

"Right!" Ash said with a nod. He then pointed towards the display case and yelled, "Pupitar, break the glass with Stone Edge!"

"Pup-i-tar!" Pupitar grunted as it fired a barrage of gray stones at the display case that held the jewel. Amazingly, the rocks only shattered the glass and didn't even touch the jewel.

Ash then ran towards the jewel and grabbed it while yelling, "Come on, guys!"

"Right!" The teens nodded. They all began to run until they were stopped by several Team Umbra and Team Rocket grunts.

"You kids ain't going anywhere," One of the grunts sneered.

"Ninjask, use Giga Drain!" Paul shouted.

Ninjask's body began to glow green and it flew above all of the grunts. It then started to rapidly fly in circles above their heads, leaving behind a turquoise trail of energy as it flew. Finally, when a turquoise circle appeared above the grunts' heads, Ninjask's eyes started to glow red while it still spun around and green static came off of the circle and hit the grunts. Their bodies glowed green and they let out loud screams of pain as energy was drained from them.

Eventually, Paul signaled for Ninjask to stop. As it did, all of the grunts slumped to the ground and into unconsciousness.

"Let's go!" Paul said to the others, who were all awe-struck at the power that Ninjask held. They soon shook it off, however, and began to run after the purple-haired trainer. Soon, all of the teens disappeared from sight as they ran into the bowels of the museum.

Eclipse turned to the grunts that stood behind her and said, "Well don't just stand there! Don't let them get away!"

"Yes, sir!" The grunts saluted the Team Umbra general and began to go after the teens.

Eclipse then threw a smoke bomb to the ground and a thick layer of gray smoke filled the room. Once it cleared, all of the Team Umbra agents were gone. As well, so were the ones from Team Rocket.

"We've got to hurry," Professor Carolina said to the other adults. "Those kids will be in a lot of trouble if Team Umbra or Team Rocket catches up to them!"

The two champions, the officer, and the curator all nodded and the five of them began to run in the direction that all of the children had run off to.

* * *

><p>(Outside)<p>

"Alright, men!" Officer Jenny said after hearing several explosions occur inside of the museum. "It's time to move in!"

"Yes, sir!" All of the officers saluted.

They were about to all run inside when they were stopped by a beam of red energy surrounded by white energy that hit the ground in front of them, causing a large explosion of black smoke.

As the smoke cleared, Officer Jenny looked up and said, "Who did that?"

"You might want to look up," She suddenly heard a voice say.

She looked up to see a bulky man standing on the roof of the museum with cropped black hair and green eyes, wearing a black uniform with a small white symbol that she couldn't quite identify due to the distance between them. Next to him was a large, green, dinosaur-like creature that was giving all of the officers an intimidating glare.

"And who are you?" She called out to the man.

"Nebula, one of the three top generals of Team Umbra," The man replied with a sneer. "And also, your worst nightmare."

"Well, I really don't care who you are, but if you're with Team Umbra, I'm gonna have to take you in," Officer Jenny said to him.

Nebula laughed and replied, "I really don't think that any of you has the power to take me on. Tyranitar, get ready to use Giga Impact."

Tyranitar got into a squatting position and it began to growl as orange streaks appeared around its body. A purple energy then appeared from the top of the streaks and enveloped Tyranitar's body.

The officers all winced as they prepared for Tyranitar to attack. Suddenly though, just as Tyranitar was about to attack, a white orb came down and struck the Armor Pokémon, causing it to have to stop its attack completely.

"What the…," Nebula said in shock. He then grimaced and yelled, "Who did that?"

"Just me, a trainer simply passing by," A voice said from a short distance away.

Nebula looked up to another building close by to see a man cloaked in black and wearing a black, wide-spread hat. On his shoulder was a Murkrow with a pink bow on her head, and beside him was a Bisharp who looked to be the source of that Metal Burst attack.

"And also," Jeremiah continued with a smirk, "_Your _worst nightmare."

* * *

><p>(Inside)<p>

"Empoleon, use Hydro Cannon!" Barry called out.

Empoleon opened its beak and a blue flash of light appeared in front of it. Then, a glowing light blue ball of water appeared in front of the Emperor Pokémon's beak where the flash was and Empoleon proceeded to fire it at the Team Umbra grunts that were chasing them.

Seconds later, several grunts were knocked to the ground, but many more still followed. Barry groaned in exasperation and continued to run along with a few of the others that he had gotten separated with.

Earlier, all of the teens had been in one group, but in order to keep the jewel safe and the grunts confused, they all had to split up into several smaller groups. Currently, Barry was running for his life beside Bianca, Leaf, Max, Stephan, and Gary.

"Keep going, guys!" Gary told them as they ran.

Like he didn't know that? Where did that spiky brown-haired upstart get that he was in charge? Barry wished that he had been in a group with Ash or Paul, but unfortunately, he was stuck with these guys.

Leaf skidded to a quick stop and threw a Pokéball into the air. In a flash of light, a large, green quadrupedal dinosaur-like creature with a flower on its back appeared in the museum.

"Venusaur, use Petal Dance!" Leaf ordered.

"Saur!" Venusaur grunted as it fired a barrage of multiple pink petals in a twister-like fashion at the grunts from the large flower on its back.

Immediately, a bunch of the grunts were blown back to Barry's amazement. That girl was a pretty powerful trainer.

Barry then quickly came to a stop when he heard a girl scream. He turned around to see Bianca and her Cinccino completely surrounded by Sableye.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Barry yelled at the Darkness Pokémon. He then pulled out a Pokéball and hurled it towards them.

Instantly, a large creature with a huge belly and sharp teeth appeared next to all of the Sableye, who looked up at the Pokémon in fear.

"Snorlax, use Heavy Slam!" Barry commanded.

Snorlax jumped into the air with amazing jumping ability and then came down hard onto the Sableye, all of whom were squashed under the blob's weight.

Bianca opened her eyes to see that she wasn't even close to Snorlax and the Sableye. She then noticed that she, Cinccino, and Barry were all on top of a Rapidash.

"You won't find any Rapidash faster than mine," Barry boasted. "I figured that you could use some help, so I saved you with my Rapidash while Snorlax crushed those Sableye."

"Oh, my hero!" Bianca squealed. Then, out of nowhere, she wrapped her arms around Barry and squeezed him tight, making the latter squirm.

"Okay, okay, I saved you, but let me go before I have to fine you!" Barry said as he struggled to get out of the Unova native's embrace.

Meanwhile, there was a battle going on between several Mightyena and Stephan's Sawk.

"Sawk, knock them off their feet with Low Sweep!" Stephan told the Karate Pokémon.

Sawk nodded and then aimed a low kick at the Mightyena's legs, knocking all of them to ground with ease.

"Great job, Sawk!" Stephan gave his Pokémon a thumbs-up.

"Sawk!" Sawk said as he flexed his muscles gloatingly.

What Sawk didn't notice, however, was that there was a particularly menacing-looking Mightyena getting ready to attack him.

"Vigoroth, stop that Mightyena with your Focus Punch!" Max yelled.

One of Vigoroth's fists took on a light blue glow as it jumped towards the Mightyena and gave it a good punch in the jaw that sent it flying.

"Uh, thanks," Stephan said, a bit shocked that he hadn't noticed the Bite Pokémon creeping up on them.

"No problem," Max grinned.

"Vig-or-oth!" Vigoroth jumped around with glee.

At this point, there was only one grunt left with a single Mightyena by his side. Gary smirked and threw a Pokéball into the air, releasing an angry-looking Blastoise.

"You might want to run," Gary said with a terrifying demeanor about him.

Blastoise nodded while cracking his knuckles, which caused the grunt and his Pokémon to sweat in fear.

"Mightyena, use…," The grunt stuttered in a panicked tone.

"Blastoise, use Water Pledge!" Gary instructed.

Blastoise slammed one of its hands into the ground, causing a pillar of water to erupt from the ground where Blastoise had hit. More pillars of water then started to rapidly erupt from the ground, each one growing even closer to the grunt. Once the pillars reached the enemies, a ring of water pillars formed around them until the pillars merged into one huge pillar of powerful water.

As the pillar disappeared back into the ground, the grunt and his Pokémon could be seen lying on the ground unconscious.

Gary sighed in relief and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"They'll be more, but I wonder how the others are doing right now," He muttered to himself.

* * *

><p>May grimaced as she dodged a Sludge Bomb that had been heading straight for her. There were several members of Team Rocket chasing after her and the people that she was currently running beside: Paul, Georgia, Burgundy, Luke, and Brock.<p>

Behind them were a multitude of Koffing and Ekans that seemed to have come out of nowhere, like Jessie's Arbok and James's Weezing.

"Ekans, get them with your Acid Spray!" A couple of the grunts blurted out.

The Ekans all opened their mouths and released streams of foul, murky green-colored liquid at the teens.

"Ferrothorn, use Gyro Ball to deflect the acid!" Paul ordered.

"Forretress, you help too with your Gyro Ball!" Brock added.

Both the Thorn Pod Pokémon and the Bagworm Pokémon proceeded to spin around rapidly, their bodies surrounded by light blue energy circles. The spinning and the fact that Steel-types are not affected by Poison-type attacks protected the teens from the Ekans' attack.

"Koffing, use Tackle!" A few other Team Rocket grunts instructed.

At that moment, it seemed as if there were multiple Koffing-shaped missiles heading straight for the teens.

"Golett, use Shadow Punch!" Luke hollered out.

Golett pulled back one of its arms and then fired a black fist with a purple outline out at one of the Koffing, knocking it to the ground.

"Beartic, freeze them with Ice Beam!" Georgia told the polar bear-like creature beside her.

Beartic opened its mouth and a light blue orb of energy appeared in front of it. It then fired multiple light blue beams from the orb at the Koffing, freezing several of them completely solid and causing them to fall to the ground with a thud.

"Dewott, use Water Pulse, _s'il vous pla__î__t_!" Burgundy said to her Pokémon.

Dewott held out both of its arms in the shape of a 'T' and opened its mouth. A light blue orb of energy appeared in front of its mouth and it then fired the orb at the remaining Koffing and Ekans.

When the orb hit the Poison-types, it expanded and surrounded them in a large orb of water. The orb then floated into the air and started to swirl around from all sides, causing the water to explode.

The grunts were shocked at how strong the teens' Pokémon were. They then noticed May pull out a Pokéball and throw it into the air, causing her Blaziken to appear right beside her.

"I think you guys should leave now," May said with a serious look on her face.

At that second, Blaziken cracked its knuckles menacingly. The grunts flinched and then ran off with their unconscious Pokémon in their arms.

'_Well, that takes care of that,_' May thought with a smile on her face. The smile quickly turned into a worried frown as she began to think about Ash.

"I hope he's all right," She muttered so quietly that only Blaziken could hear her.

* * *

><p>At the moment, Ash was running as fast as he could with a blue gem in his arms, Pikachu on his shoulder, and Meowth by his side.<p>

Behind him was not only Dawn, Kenny, Cilan, Iris, and Drew, but also a whole group of Team Rocket grunts led by Jessie and James

"It's foolish to run," Jessie yelled out to him. "You might as well just give up and hand over the jewel!"

"Weezing, Smog attack!" James shouted.

"Wee-zing!" Weezing said as it floated ahead of the teens and began to let out a smokescreen of toxic fog from its mouths and the holes on its body. "Weeeee!"

Ash and the others skidded to a stop and began to cough as the smog began to sap up their clean air.

"Pidgeot!" Ash sputtered out as he tossed a Pokéball into the air. "Use Gust to clear out the smog!"

In a flash of light, the Bird Pokémon appeared into the air and began to flap its wings at a high speed. This released a strong gust of wind from its wings and caused the smog to dissipate.

"Not bad, Ketchum," Drew said, surprisingly giving his love rival a compliment for once. "Now, it's our turn. Typhlosion, come on out and use Flamethrower!"

Instantly, a large creature with a plume of fire on its dark blue fur-coated back appeared in front of the green-haired coordinator.

"A Typhlosion?" Ash said in disbelief. He then pulled out his Pokédex to scan the Pokémon.

"_Typhlosion, the Volcano Pokémon. The evolved-form of Quilava and the final form of Cyndaquil. It attacks using blasts of fire. It creates heat shimmers with intense fire to hide itself._"

Typhlosion then opened its mouth and released a red-orange stream of fire from its mouth at James's Weezing.

"What an unimpressive move," James sneered. "Weezing, use your Thunder attack!"

Weezing nodded and fired a massive beam of yellow electricity from its body at Typhlosion's attack. The two attacks collided and caused a large explosion of black smoke.

"Piplup, let's take them down with Hydro Pump!" Dawn told her partner Pokémon.

Piplup opened its beak and a blue ball of water formed in front of its beak. Next, the ball of water flattened and turned into a circle. Then, a powerful jet of water was fired from the circle at Arbok.

"Arbok, dodge it and freeze it with Ice Fang!" Jessie instructed.

Arbok quickly slithered out of the way, and then, it bit down upon the jet of water with icy fangs. The Hydro Pump then began to freeze until it froze completely solid and dropped to the floor.

"Alakazam, show them what you can do!" Kenny blurted out. "Use Psycho Cut!"

Alakazam's spoons began to take on a light blue outline. It then swung the spoons in such a way that they fired multiple light blue crescents at Team Rocket.

"Wobbuffet, use Mirror Coat," Jessie said to the blue blob beside her.

Wobbuffet's body became surrounded in a white reflective color as Alakazam's attack came at it. The attacks were stopped by a strange force field and then fired back at the teens.

"Look out!" Cilan yelled as he tackled Iris to the ground as the Psycho Cut attack was about to hit her. Luckily, thanks to Cilan's quick thinking, both of them narrowly missed getting hit by the attack.

As Iris opened her eyes, she saw Cilan on top of her and immediately began to blush a bright red.

"Um…," Iris said nervously, "Thank…you."

"No problem," Cilan gulped, his face just as red as Iris's.

At the moment, nothing else seemed to matter as the two Unovan natives stared into each other's eyes. Then, strangely enough, the two of them slowly leaned into a kiss.

All of the teens were surprised at this. Dawn let out an "Aw!" while Ash, Drew, and Kenny smirked with approval.

"Well, isn't that just sickeningly sweet?" Jessie said with acid in her voice. "But now, let's get back to the matter at hand. Give us the jewel!"

"No way!" Ash said as he tightened his grip on the gem in his arms. "Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"

"Pika-pika-pika-pika-pika," Pikachu chanted as he ran at Jessie and James with his body surrounded by yellow electricity.

"Wobbuffet, Counter!" Jessie said to her Pokémon.

Wobbuffet's body took on an orange glow as Pikachu came towards it. Pikachu was stopped in his tracks as some strange force emanating from Wobbuffet's body held him in place. Pikachu was then suddenly sent flying back in the direction he came in.

"Pika!" Pikachu screamed as he flew backward through the air.

"I've got you, buddy!" Ash said as he jumped and caught Pikachu just before he hit the wall, taking the full force of the attack and the impact himself.

"Are you alright, Pikachu?" Ash asked his Pokémon weakly.

"Pika," Pikachu nodded, looking just as weak.

"Looks like the jewel is ours," James said as he, Jessie, and their Pokémon began to walk towards the raven-haired teen. They were stopped, however, by a certain Scratch Cat Pokémon.

"I won't let yous guys hurt my trainer!" Meowth said with his claws extended.

"_Your trainer_?" Jessie repeated with a sneer. "Does that mean that you actually let him _catch _you?"

"Yeah, so what?" Meowth shot back. "I usually don't like to battle, but at least when I battle with him, it's fun!"

"When did you ever consider battling to be _fun_?" James snickered. "You've changed, Meowth."

"I guess I have," Meowth nodded with a grin. "Let me show you how I've changed!"

Meowth's paw suddenly became surrounded by a black aura with a purple outline. The aura then took the form of a huge claw as Meowth jumped towards Wobbuffet and slashed the Patient Pokémon before it could do anything.

"Wob-buffet!" Wobbuffet yelled in pain as it flew back and hit the wall.

"How did he…," James began before he noticed that Meowth had appeared right behind Weezing and slashed it with a shadowy claw.

"What?" Jessie said in disbelief. Before she knew it, however, Meowth had done the same to Arbok.

Meowth then did a backflip and landed right where it had been before it had even attacked with a grin.

"How do you like me now?" Meowth said gloatingly. His grin suddenly faded when he noticed Weezing, Arbok, and Wobbuffet slowly stand back up.

"You don't think that you can just defeat them that easily, do you?" Jessie said with a devilish grin. "Arbok, use Poison Sting!"

Arbok opened its mouth and fired multiple purple-colored darts out at Meowth, who was immediately inflicted with great pain.

"Weezing, use Sludge attack!" James shouted.

Weezing opened its mouth and spewed dark brown sludge at Meowth from the mouth of its larger body.

This attack left Meowth just barely standing. Wobbuffet walked up to him and Meowth angrily slashed at him with a Scratch attack. He was unable to hit the Psychic-type, however, due to it easily blocking the attack with Counter. Meowth then scratched himself and was in turn knocked to the ground and sent into unconsciousness.

"Pitiful," James murmured as they stepped over Meowth's body and walked over towards Ash.

Dawn, Kenny, Cilan, Iris, and Drew ran towards them in an attempt to stop them with their Pokémon and Pidgeot by their side, but Wobbuffet's Counter sent them all flying back towards the ground. All five of them and the Pokémon were unable to get up with the pain that they were in.

Ash looked up as Jessie and James stepped in front of him and Pikachu.

"Now, give us the jewel," Jessie said to the teen.

"I guess I have no choice," Ash said as he handed Jessie the gem in his hand.

"Smart move," James sneered.

Suddenly, however, the gem faded and completely disappeared.

"What?" Jessie and James said in disbelief.

They looked down at Ash when they heard him begin to chuckle.

"We thought that this might happen," Ash said weakly. "So Gavin had his Weavile make a Substitute. The real one is with him."

Jessie and James growled with anger and were about to obliterate the teen when they suddenly heard him say, "See ya."

Immediately, Kenny's Alakazam's body began to glow in a multicolored light, along with the rest of the teens and their Pokémon. Then, they all disappeared from the room in a flash of light.

James then pulled out a headset and said into it, "Pierce, we lost them. The real gem is with Ketchum's cousin."

"Don't worry," A voice said back. "Everything is going according to plan."

* * *

><p>"Hurry, everyone!" Gavin said as he, Misty, Tracey, Zoey, and Kelly tried to run as fast as they can from a multitude of Team Umbra grunts who were being led by Eclipse.<p>

"You all can't run forever!" Eclipse said to them with a sneer. "I know you have the jewel, so just hand it over and no one gets hurt..._much_."

"Weavile, use Ice Shard," Gavin said to the Sharp Claw Pokémon running beside him.

Weavile grinned and then jumped into the air, firing a glowing light blue ball of ice from its paws at the silver-haired woman.

"Liepard, shatter it with Night Slash," Eclipse ordered.

Liepard let out a snarl as it jumped into the air and slashed at Weavile's attack with a glowing purple claw. This caused the orb to immediately burst into a cloud of icy dust.

Gavin sighed, wishing that the attack had worked. He was still wondering how the Team Umbra general had figured out that he had the jewel in the first place.

"Staryu, stop them with BubbleBeam!" Misty shouted.

"Venonat, use Signal Beam!" Tracey yelled.

"Glameow, fire a Shock Wave at them!" Zoey commanded.

"Grumpig, use Focus Blast!" Kelly directed.

With that, the four attacks were fired directly at the members of Team Umbra.

"Sableye, use Shadow Ball!" The grunts all yelled.

All of the Sableye then threw orbs of shadowy energy out at the oncoming attacks, and as the attacks collided, there were multiple explosions of black smoke.

"Now, Liepard, hit them with your Hyper Beam!" Eclipse called out.

Liepard opened its mouth and fired a red beam of energy surrounded by white energy out at the teens' feet. As the attack exploded against the ground, all of the teens were knocked off of their feet and to the ground.

Eclipse smirked as she and her Liepard walked over to the brown-haired trainer that now currently laid on the ground in pain. She noticed that the other four that had been with him had all been knocked out when they had hit the ground.

"So," Eclipse began. "The jewel, if you will."

"I guess you've got me," Gavin said as he sat up and pulled his backpack to his lap. He had started to open it when he suddenly yelled out, "Pichu! Thundershock!"

To Eclipse's surprise, the Tiny Electric Mouse Pokémon jumped out of the teen's backpack and released a bolt of yellow electricity out at her and her Liepard. She managed to jump out of the way, but left the grunts to take the full effects of the attack.

Seconds later, she grimaced as she heard all of the grunts slump to the ground and into unconsciousness.

"Not a bad move," Eclipse said with an impressed look on her face. "Although, I guess it is to be expected from the International Police's top agent."

Gavin and Pichu's eyes both widened in shock and fear.

"How did you find out?" Gavin asked.

"Oh, I know all about you," Eclipse said with an ever-widening sneer. "We have every single bit of data on you, especially of your _history_."

A look of intense anger appeared on Gavin's face, and the same went for Pichu.

"However, if you want your secret to stay secret, you might want to hand me that jewel," Eclipse said malevolently. "If you don't, not only will your secret be revealed, but your friends and all those that you care about will be taken out."

Gavin growled with anger as he slowly pulled the blue gem out of his backpack.

"I will stop you," Gavin spat as Eclipse took the jewel from his hand. Sparks danced across Pichu's cheeks as he glared at the silver-haired woman.

"We'll see," Eclipse said as she put the jewel in a special container. As she did this, all of the grunts had managed to wake up and had now gotten back on their feet.

"So long, little agent," Eclipse said as she gave him a wink and a sly smile. She then threw a small marble-like ball to the ground. The bomb exploded and created a smokescreen that blinded Gavin and Pichu.

Once the fog finally cleared, Gavin saw that they were all gone.

* * *

><p>(Outside)<p>

"Tyranitar, use Stone Edge!" Nebula ordered.

The Armor Pokémon's body became surrounded in white energy for a moment and the energy came off of its body in the form of two rings of jagged white energy orbs that began to float around it. The white energy faded and the orbs formed into gray jagged stones. Then, Tyranitar fired stones at Jeremiah and his Pokémon.

"Bisharp, use Guillotine to block!" Jeremiah told his Pokémon.

The blades on Bisharp's elbows began to glow a light blue glow. It then slashed at the stones, cutting them into pieces and causing them to fall to the ground as dust.

It had been a long and fierce battle on the rooftops. Jeremiah glared intensely at the Team Umbra general.

"Not bad, Nebula," Jeremiah yelled out. "However, it all ends here."

"Yes, it does," Nebula said with a sneer.

Suddenly, a black helicopter appeared in the air and hovered above the museum rooftop. Jeremiah squinted and could see a silver-haired woman standing inside of it.

"Eclipse," Jeremiah muttered with a bit of anger.

Nebula quickly recalled Tyranitar back into its ball and then climbed up the rope ladder that the helicopter sent down to him.

Jeremiah took out a Pokéball and was about to send out the Pokémon inside, but suddenly stopped.

"Next time, my friend," Jeremiah whispered to the Pokémon inside of it as he watched the helicopter fly off until it was out of sight.

* * *

><p>(Noctae City Pokémon Center)<p>

Later that night, all of the teens sat in the Noctae City Pokémon Center as they waited for their Pokémon to be healed. As well, they had all had their wounds and bruises healed by Nurse Joy's Chansey and Audino.

At this point, all of our heroes' rivals had all gone to bed while their Pokémon were being healed. This left our Ash, May, Brock, Dawn, and Max moping in lobby while the others were dealing with other things.

"I can't believe they got away with the jewel," Ash said angrily.

"It'll be okay," May said calmly to Ash.

"Looker said that they had put a tracking device on Team Umbra's helicopter before they got away," Brock said to the raven-haired trainer. "They won't get far."

Ash nodded, but then noticed that Iris and Cilan were nowhere to be found.

"Hey, where are…," He started before he saw Max pointing towards the window.

The four of them looked out to see the two Unova natives currently making out in the moonlight. This caused Ash, Max, and Brock to snicker until they saw the look on May and Dawn's faces. If looks could kill, the three of them would have totally been taken out in an instant.

"So I heard that they had to postpone the battle between Cynthia and Chris," Ash said, trying to change the subject.

"Unfortunately," Max added. "Due to the damages at the Noctae City Museum, they have to hold off on the battle until things settle down."

"Too bad," Dawn sighed. "Hey, has anyone seen Gavin?"

* * *

><p>Gavin grimaced as he sat outside of the Pokémon Center with Pichu on his shoulder.<p>

"If they know, then it won't be long before the others know," He said so quietly that only Pichu could hear.

Suddenly, a ringing tone began to emanate from his jacket pocket. He then pulled out what appeared to be a sort of cell phone, opened it up, and answered it.

"_Dude, I heard that Team Umbra got away with the Jewel of Willpower! So what happened?_" Gavin heard Walker's voice ask.

"They know my secrets," Gavin answered. "One of their generals told me that if I didn't hand it over, they would reveal my secret and take out everyone that I care about."

"_Oh. Well, I've got some new information. We found out who Team Umbra's leader is! It's…_"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in a dark office far away, Nebula and Eclipse were kneeling in front of a makeshift throne where a dark figure sat.<p>

"My lord, now that we have the second jewel, we are working to find the location of the third jewel!" Nebula said to the figure.

"Excellent," The figure said as he stepped into the light, revealing his short and spiky jet black hair, pale skin, and scarlet-colored eyes. He wore black pants and a black jacket with Team Umbra's symbol in the spot over his heart.

"Master Damien, I must apologize for my attitude towards you back at the museum," Eclipse said with great fear.

"Don't worry, my general," He said calmly. "It was the only way to keep those brats and the Champions unsuspicious. Although, we must keep an eye on that boy."

"And what about Jeremiah?" Nebula asked. "He continues to show up and mess with our plans."

"He won't be a problem for much longer," Damien answered with a smirk. "My third general will make sure of that."

Damien then took out a black Pokéball with a skull on it and tossed it to the ground. In a flash of light, a black, shadow-like creature appeared in front of him.

It was quite a scary-looking creature. It had a small head with a white fog-like ghostly substance billowing from its head that covered one of its bright blue eyes. It also had a red spiky growth around its neck. It had skinny arms and long black tatters hanging from its shoulders. It had the slight appearance of an hourglass figure and looked like it was wearing an old, ripped cloak. It also had black, claw-like hands.

"You summoned me, my master?" It said in a deep and ominous voice.

"Yes, I want you to go to General Dusk and tell him to speed up his search for the Jewel of Knowledge," Damien said to the creature.

"Yes, my master," The creature bowed before it began to sink into the ground and into the shadows.

* * *

><p>At the same time, Pierce had been watching the entire conversation that the leader of Team Umbra had been having with his generals through binoculars on a nearby rooftop.<p>

Standing next to him on the rooftop was a strong-looking Marowak who was happy to be back with its original trainer instead of those two other Team Rocket agents.

He then pulled a com-link out of his pocket and said into it, "Sir, they have the second jewel."

"Excellent," The deep voice of Giovanni answered back. "All is going according to plan."

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 46: "Welcome to the Jungle! Ash's Battle for the Fourth Badge!"<span>_- Ash and the others have finally reached Loraflay Village, the site of Ash's fourth gym battle! However, after meeting the gym leader and seeing the power of his Pokémon, will Ash be able to take him down and win his fourth badge? Find out in the next installment of Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**Team Umbra's got the second jewel! Will Ash and the others be able to stop them? We'll have to wait and see! I hope you liked it! Read and Review!**

**Okay, so I meant to try and finish enough of the chapters to post non-stop for a week, leading up to the premiere of the first chapter of "Kyurem and the Hero's Sword", but there were a few issues in the case of my ongoing war against my own laziness. Even though I have plenty of free time right now, I've been having a losing battle with my laziness and Writer's block. However, I will try to finish all of the other chapters of my stories that I have planned to do before I premiere "Kyurem and the Hero's Sword." Hopefully, I should have the first chapter of KHS out sometime this month! Until then, I'll be working on getting chapters 7-10 of "Pokemon Fusion Warriors" written and posted as soon as I can! So see you guys next time!**


	46. Chapter 46

**Hey, guys! Guess what? I'm not dead! Don't worry, I'll explain my leaf of absence at the end of the chapter! Until then, read on and I hope this makes up for the long wait!**

** Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 46: "Welcome to the Jungle! Ash's Battle for the Fourth Badge!"_

(Flashback)

"_Not a bad move," Eclipse said with an impressed look on her face. "Although, I guess it is to be expected from the International Police's top agent."_

"_How did you find out?" Gavin asked._

"_Oh, I know all about you," Eclipse said with an ever-widening sneer. "We have every single bit of data on you, especially of your __**history**__."_

"_I will stop you," Gavin spat as Eclipse took the jewel from his hand. Sparks danced across Pichu's cheeks as he glared at the silver-haired woman._

_"We'll see," Eclipse said as she put the jewel in a special container. As she did this, all of the grunts had managed to wake up and had now gotten back on their feet. _

_"So long, little agent," Eclipse said as she gave him a wink and a sly smile. She then threw a small marble-like ball to the ground. The bomb exploded and created a smokescreen that blinded Gavin and Pichu._

_ Once the fog finally cleared, Gavin saw that they were all gone._

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>Gavin woke up with a start and sat up on his bed all covered in sweat. He panted heavily from the rush and fear that filled him due to the nightmare.<p>

He looked around the dark room he was in at the other guys who were all still asleep. It seemed like nothing could disturb these guys. Even Pikachu, Pichu, and Meowth were snoozing comfortably in their respective masters' beds.

Gavin sighed. Ever since about a week ago, back when they were in Noctae City and dealt with the Team Umbra and Team Rocket attack, he had been unable to sleep very well. He was constantly waking up in the middle of the night after having the same nightmare, over and over again.

Even now that they were Loraflay Village, the site of Ash's next gym battle, he still couldn't sleep.

At this point, Gavin didn't even feel tired anymore, so he decided to get up and go downstairs into the Pokémon Center cafeteria to get a midnight snack.

All was quiet as he tiptoed down the hall and to the stairs in the black T-shirt and blue shorts that he had worn to bed. He had to be quiet lest he wake up one or more of the others.

There was a bit of a reason besides the fact that if he woke up Misty for example, she would kill him with her mallet.

Gavin had always been a guy who never liked to be worried about. When he was younger, everyone was always worrying about him, especially when he took great risks in both his days as a trainer and as the top agent of the International Police.

If even just one of the others woke up, especially Dawn, they would all begin to worry about him, and the more they worried, the faster his secret would come out.

Eventually, Gavin managed to find his way to the Pokémon Center cafeteria.

From the looks of it, he was probably the only one down here, except for a Chansey who was running the night-shift. Then, he noticed a familiar-looking person sitting in a booth in the far back.

"Don't tell me…," Gavin muttered.

Gavin walked to the back as fast as he could, and once he reached the booth, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Oh, hello, my friend!" Jeremiah said with a cheerful wave.

"Mur-krow!" Mimi chirped, echoing her master.

Gavin immediately face-palmed himself. Of course, the one time that he wanted to be alone, _he _had to show up.

"What are you doing here?" Gavin groaned.

"What, no hello?" Jeremiah said in mock hurt. "Can't we just be friendly with each other for once?"

"No," Gavin stated, causing Jeremiah to face-fault.

"Well, then, why don't we just go ahead and get down to business?" Jeremiah said after regaining his composure.

Still a bit hesitant, Gavin soon sighed and then sat down across from the black hat-wearing man.

"So, what's up?" Jeremiah asked nonchalantly.

"DO YOU REALLY NEED TO ASK THAT QUESTION?" Gavin yelled, causing Jeremiah to shrink in mock fright.

"Kidding," Jeremiah said as he struggled to convince the now growling trainer across from him to calm down. "So, Team Umbra knows who you are?"

"Apparently," Gavin said with bitterness in his voice.

"So why don't you go ahead and tell the others?" Jeremiah inquired.

"Because if they find out who I really am, not only will they hate me, but also, Team Umbra might come after them as well," Gavin explained. "I can't risk it."

"True," Jeremiah agreed. "But I don't think your giving your friends enough credit. I'm sure that they would understand."

"What? That I came to Pallet Town to find Ash and told him about the Amaro Region just so that I could complete my mission inconspicuously and without notice?" Gavin snapped with a questioning look on his face. "What would you do if you found that out?"

"Eh, I guess I would probably have hated you, too," Jeremiah shrugged indifferently.

It was Gavin's turn to face-fault for a moment at Jeremiah's comment. Surprisingly though, Gavin began to chuckle.

"It's funny, though. Even though that was my reason for traveling with my cousin and his friends through the Amaro Region, I never expected to actually become so close to them. So close that I actually have been happy again for the first time in years. No matter what, however, I can't tell them my secret. At least, not yet."

"It's your decision," Jeremiah said, suddenly getting up to Gavin's surprise. "Well, I suppose that I'll see you later at the gym."

He took a few steps away from the booth, but then stopped before turning to Gavin and saying, "By the way, I have a message for your cousin. Tell him that when he faces the gym leader, he should try not to get lost in the _grass_."

* * *

><p>As soon as morning hit and our heroes woke up from their sleep, they all ran downstairs and began to eat a large breakfast in preparation for the events of the day.<p>

Ash and May were both stuffing their faces full of mind-boggling amounts of food as usual, and everyone else seemed to be eating fine as well. Except for Gavin, that is.

Due to his lack of sleep, the brown-haired trainer had to do all that he could to stay awake. Even though he tried and tried to force his eyes to stay open, he could not stop his head from drooping every so often.

"Hey, Gavin, are you okay?" Leaf asked sincerely.

"Huh?" Gavin mumbled. Leaf's voice had made him jump a little bit. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just a little sleepy is all."

"And what's up with the new threads?" Gary inquired.

Gavin looked down at his new clothes. After the events involving Team Umbra and Team Rocket, Gavin's old clothes that they had gotten back in Pallet Town had suffered a few cuts and tears that had to be fixed. So, before they had left Noctae City, Dawn had taken him to the mall and got him a new collared, navy blue-colored, button-down shirt that he wore open, a new black T-shirt that he wore under it, and a pair of blue jeans. He still retained his shoes, bag, and trademark sunglasses, however.

"Dawn got them for me," Gavin answered with a yawn. He quickly turned to the blunette sitting by his side and said, "Thank you very much, by the way."

Dawn nodded, but didn't say a word as she looked at the teen with worry. Lately, her boyfriend had been looking more and more worn-out, and this worried her. What was going on?

"Anyway," Brock said calmly in an effort to change the subject. "Does anybody know what type of Pokémon that the Loraflay Gym Leader uses?"

The others shrugged. They still really weren't quite sure about that.

Then, Gavin surprised them all when he suddenly said, "It's a Grass-type gym."

"How do you know that?" Iris questioned the trainer with a Pichu on his shoulder.

Even Pichu was surprised at this knowledge that just amazingly spouted out of his trainer. How did he know what type of Pokémon that the Gym Leader uses?

"Let's just say that a little birdie told me," Gavin quickly replied, giving his partner a look that told him that he would explain later.

"Grass-types, huh?" Tracey said thoughtfully. "I'd say your best bet would be to use Fire, Ice, Flying, Poison, or Bug Pokémon in this battle."

"Or you could just burn them to the ground with Charizard," Max chuckled.

"Actually…," Ash suddenly said as he swallowed a mouthful of food, "I think I'll give Charizard and the others a break for this one. Is that okay, Pikachu?"

The Electric-type on his shoulder nodded and gave him a happy "Pika-chu!"

Pikachu was actually glad that Ash was giving him a break. Electric-types aren't so good against Grass-types, so he wouldn't have been much help anyways.

"So, exactly who are you gonna use?" May asked with interest.

Ash thought about it for a moment before his eyes widened and a mischievous grin appeared on his face.

"You'll see," Ash said with confidence burning in his eyes.

Meowth gulped. "I hope he knows what he's doing."

Later, after they finally finished eating, Ash went and got a few transfers done before they all went together out into the small village towards the gym.

* * *

><p>The entire group gasped once they found their way to the Loraflay Village Gym. It was quite the sight to behold.<p>

"It's a greenhouse!" Misty exclaimed.

Indeed, it was. The Loraflay Village Gym looked to be a large glass dome filled with trees and other plants all about it. It was so large, in fact, that it looked to be the size of an entire football field.

"What a magnificent work of art!" Cilan said in awe. "It's an amazing taste sensation for all to behold!"

"Uh, yeah," Max said while sweat-dropping at Cilan's statement. "So how do you think we get inside?"

The others were all dumb-founded. As far as they could tell, there wasn't a door to be found about the entire dome. How were they gonna get inside?

Suddenly, though, they heard a female voice behind them say, "I can show you."

They all immediately turned around to see a girl who looked to be about eleven years old with dark magenta-colored hair and light blue eyes. She wore a white blouse with a blue ribbon around the collar, a pair of red pants that stopped just above her ankles, and a pair of blue tennis shoes.

As soon as they had noticed her, the girl walked up to them and stopped right in front of Max. From the looks of it, the teal-haired boy was maybe just a few centimeters taller than her.

She blinked a couple of times and tilted her head expectantly as if she was waiting for Max to say something, but the teal-haired boy just gulped and continued to stare back uneasily.

Finally, after a few moments of staring, the girl spoke up, saying, "Don't you recognize me?"

"Uh…," Max said as he struggled to figure out who this girl was. "Am I supposed to?"

A tic mark appeared on the girl's forehead as she began to glare at the boy angrily.

"I would hope so!" The girl said in an angry tone. "I know that it's been four years, but you should still know who I am!"

Max then started to break under the pressure of the girl's glare and soon enough ran and hid behind Brock and Tracey.

The girl looked like she was about to scream until Brock spoke up and said, "So you said that you could show us the way in?"

She huffed and then answered, "Yeah. Follow me."

The group then proceeded to follow her for a few minutes while they walked around the dome. Eventually, they stopped on the other side of the dome in front of a single tree.

"So where is this supposed to lead?" Iris impatiently asked.

"Just wait," The girl said as she walked over to one of the branches and pulled it down like a switch.

All of the sudden, a small area of the ground began to split apart, revealing a set of stairs that led underground.

"Welcome to the Loraflay Gym," The girl said with a grin.

The group looked at each other for a moment before they began to walk down the stairs into the large, domed jungle of a gym.

* * *

><p>As soon as they had all made their way to the bottom of the steps, every single member of the group's eyes widened at what they saw down there.<p>

It was like an enormous jungle in there! The place was filled with all kinds of plants, trees, and bushes from what seemed like all over the world! It was one thing to look at the gym from the outside, but it was another thing entirely to see the gym from the inside.

The group continued to look around at the gym in astonishment until they suddenly heard a familiar voice call out, "I see that you finally made it, my friends!"

Ash and the others all turned to see two people in there waiting for them.

One was a familiar-looking, black-cloaked man with a black hat on his head and a small, black bird-like creature on his shoulder. Ash and the others all knew him as Jeremiah.

The other person, however, was a completely new face to them entirely. It was a man about Jeremiah's age with short, spiky, dark forest green-colored hair and emerald green eyes. He wore a collared, button-down, khaki-colored shirt that was tucked into his similarly-colored shorts that he kept up with a brown belt. He also wore a pair of dark brown boots, he had a small knife sitting in a sheath that was attached to his belt, and to top it all off, he wore a khaki-colored pith helmet on top of his head.

Everyone except for Gavin seemed to be slightly shocked that Jeremiah was there, but they were all also wondering who this man with him was.

"My friends," Jeremiah said as he gestured towards the man, "This is Briar, the official gym leader of the Loraflay Village Gym."

"How's it going?" Briar grinned as he gave the teens a wave.

"Your greenhouse is beautiful," May said with a sigh as she looked at all of the trees and foliage throughout the dome.

"Thanks," Briar said while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Although, you should really tell that to my friend and personal assistant."

At that moment, everyone turned to see what was probably one of the most beautiful women that they had ever seen walk up the garden path towards them.

She was pretty tall, probably about the same height as Brock. She had long, pink hair that flowed down her shoulders and went down her back, stopping at her waist. Her eyes were a bluish-green that shimmered in the light and her lips were a luscious red. Like Briar, she wore a collared khaki-colored shirt that she had untucked, a pair of khaki shorts, and a pair of light brown boots.

"Everyone, this is Flora," Briar gestured towards her. "My personal assistant."

"How's it going?" Flora said with a wave and a wink.

"Wow! What a woman!" Brock said as he went into flirt-mode.

The squinty-eyed Pokémon breeder took off towards her and got down on his knees in front of her.

"Oh, how I've waited to see such a beauty like you," Brock said in a slightly deeper voice. "And here we are, in our own secret garden. Let us now plant a seed that will blossom with our…OUCH!"

It was then that Brock crumpled over, revealing that Croagunk had popped out of its ball and gave him a swift Poison Jab to the back. The Toxic Mouth Pokémon proceeded to drag its trainer away, leaving everyone speechless for a few moments.

"Anyway," Briar said after shrugging the incident off, "which one of you is here to challenge me?"

Ash took a step forward and said confidently, "I am."

Briar nodded and then asked, "Good. How does a five-on-five battle sound?"

"Sounds fine to me," Ash grinned.

"Okay," Briar said with a smile. "Let's do this."

* * *

><p>Soon enough, they had all made their way to the gym's battlefield in the middle of the garden. It was a grassy field that looked like the perfect place for a Grass-type to shine its brightest.<p>

While Ash and Briar stood on opposite sides of the field and stared each other down, May, Pikachu, and the others sat to the side, watching the field in anticipation of the battle at hand.

"This will be a five-on-five battle between Briar, the Loraflay Village Gym Leader and Ash Ketchum, the challenger from Pallet Town," Flora, who was acting as referee, said in an official-sounding tone. "Only the challenger is allowed to make substitutions. The battle will be over when all five of one side's Pokémon are unable to continue. Now, let the battle begin!"

"Victreebel, sprout and grow!" Briar said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, a yellow, bulb-like plant creature with green spots all over its body, a leaf with a long, brown, yellow-tipped vine growing out of it on its head, and four sharp fangs appeared onto the field.

Ash immediately pulled out his Pokédex to scan Briar's first Pokémon.

"_Victreebel, the Flycatcher Pok__émon and the evolved-form of Weepinbell. They're said to live in large colonies deep within jungles. Although, no one has ever returned from there to clarify this information._"

"Victreebel, huh?" Ash murmured contemplatively. "I think I've got just the Pokémon to use against you."

He then took a Pokéball from his belt and threw it into the air, yelling, "Noctowl, I choose you!"

In a burst of sparkling light, Ash's shiny Owl Pokémon appeared into the air, its body surrounded by shimmering light.

* * *

><p>May flipped out her Pokédex and scanned Ash's Pokémon.<p>

"_Noctowl, the Owl Pok__é__mon and the evolved-form of Hoothoot. Noctowl's eyes have a special power that allows it to see in the faintest light, as if it was the middle of the day_."

"Ooh," The red-haired girl said in awe. "What a neat color!"

* * *

><p>"Ash, since you're the challenger, I'll let you have the first move," Briar called out.<p>

"Fine by me," Ash grinned. "Noctowl, let's start off with an Air Slash attack!"

Noctowl raised its wings above its head and a spiraling light blue orb of energy formed in between them. Then, a barrage of light blue glowing saw disc-like energy blades were fired from the orb at Victreebel.

"Victreebel, block it with a Leaf Tornado!" Briar instructed.

As the energy blades came at it, the leaves on Victreebel's body took on a bright green glow. It then opened its mouth and released a large tornado of wind with circles of light green energy spinning around it straight at Noctowl's attack.

Noctowl's barrage of energy blades all struck against the green cyclone, but unfortunately, they were instantly obliterated by the cyclone's strength. The Grass-type attack then continued to fly towards Noctowl, much to the Owl Pokémon's shock.

"Noctowl, hurry and dodge it!" Ash ordered.

With a swift aerial maneuver, Noctowl managed to dodge the tornado, but then noticed that Victreebel's attack had turned around and was still following it.

'_Ugh, no good_,' Ash grimaced as Noctowl flew away from Victreebel's attack. "Noctowl, try to stop it with Confusion!"

Noctowl quickly turned around and its eyes took on a light blue glow. A few seconds later, the cyclone took on a light blue glowing outline and stopped completely.

"Now, destroy it!" Ash told it.

Noctowl opened its eyes wider and they began to glow even brighter. The cyclone took on a bright blue glow as well before it exploded and dissipated.

"Great job!" Ash said happily. "Now, let's hit it with Zen Headbutt!"

Noctowl's bushy feather "horns" took on a bright blue glow before it flew straight at Victreebel.

"Victreebel, use Seed Bomb!" Briar commanded.

Victreebel opened its mouth and a green orb appeared inside of it. It then fired multiple glowing green seeds from its mouth at the oncoming Flying-type opponent.

The seeds exploded upon contact and caused Noctowl to crash into the ground.

"Now, grab it with Vine Whip!" Briar directed.

Noctowl struggled to get up, but just as it managed to stand up, Victreebel used the brown vine on its head to grab it and lift it up into the air above its mouth.

* * *

><p>On the sidelines, a panicked look appeared on Tracey's face as he and the others watched the battle.<p>

"Uh-oh," The Pokémon Watcher said with worry. "This is not good."

"What's wrong, Tracey?" Misty asked.

"I just remembered that Victreebel have the ability to create a fluid in its mouth," Tracey explained. "It's supposed to smell like honey in order to lure in prey, but it's really an acid that can dissolve anything."

"So if Ash doesn't do something fast, Noctowl's done for!" May exclaimed in shock.

* * *

><p>'<em>I've gotta think of something. But what?<em>' Ash thought as he watched Noctowl struggle to try and get out of Victreebel's grip. Suddenly though, Ash had an idea.

"Noctowl, fire an Extrasensory straight into Victreebel's mouth!" Ash hollered out.

"What?" Briar's eyes widened in shock.

Noctowl's eyes took on a golden glow and it opened its beak. Then, before Victreebel could do anything about it, the Owl Pokémon fired a multicolored circular beam with white crescents around it straight into the Flycatcher Pokémon's mouth.

As a result of Noctowl's attack, Victreebel was forced to let go of its prey as it was blasted backwards across the field. Eventually, it crashed into a tree, causing it to gain a few bruises.

"Victreebel, hurry and use Sludge Bomb!" Briar yelled.

Victreebel shook its body vigorously before it opened its mouth and fired a ball of brown sludge at its opponent.

"Air Slash!" Ash shouted.

Noctowl raised its wings above its head and subsequently fired a multitude of light blue energy blades at Victreebel's attack. The attacks soon collided and an explosion occurred. This time, however, a few of energy blades kept on going and ended up hitting Victreebel.

The Grass/Poison-type let out a shriek of pain as the energy blades hit it and sent it skidding back a few feet.

"Now, Noctowl! Let's finish it off with a Sky Attack!" Ash blurted out.

Noctowl's eyebrow tufts began to glow white and it quickly flew high up into the air before coming back down into a dive towards Victreebel. As it dived down towards its opponent, the Normal/Flying-type's body took on a white glow.

Before Victreebel could even attempt to dodge, Noctowl managed to tackle it and send it flying until it hit another tree. The impact instantly knocked it out and everyone saw that as it lay on the grass, it had swirls in its eyes.

"Victreebel is unable to battle!" Flora announced. "Noctowl is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"Great job, Ash!" May called out to the raven-haired trainer.<p>

"Pika!" Pikachu echoed from the brunette's lap.

Even Meowth, who stood beside May's legs, was impressed by his trainer.

"Wow," The red-headed girl who sat by Max said in awe. "Ash has certainly gotten stronger since the last time I saw him."

She looked over to Max hopefully, but was angered when the teal-haired boy uneasily turned away from her.

"So do you know who she is?" Gavin asked Brock.

"I'm pretty sure that I have an idea," The breeder whispered back, "But let's let Max figure this out himself."

"Gotcha," Gavin nodded. They then returned their attention back to the field as the next round was about to begin.

* * *

><p>"Not too shabby, Ash," Briar said, impressed by his opponent. "But let's see how your Flying Pokémon does against a Grass-type that also can fly. Tropius, sprout and grow!"<p>

The gym leader then hurled a Pokéball into the air, and in a flash of light, a large Pokémon appeared above the field.

It was a large sauropod-like creature with a brown-and-green-colored body. It also had four large, broad green leaves on its back that it flapped as it flew, a long neck, yellow toenails on its feet, and three pieces of what appeared to be yellow fruit growing from its neck.

* * *

><p>As if it was a reflex, Max quickly flipped out his Pokédex and scanned this new foe.<p>

"_Tropius, the Fruit Pok__é__mon. Because it continually ate only its favorite fruit, the fruit started growing around its neck. It is able to fly by flapping its broad leaves._"

"Sounds like a tough opponent if you ask me," The young trainer said as he looked at the Grass/Flying-type Pokémon above.

* * *

><p>"Hmm," Ash murmured. He then looked towards Noctowl and asked, "You still think you can fight some more, Noctowl?"<p>

The Owl Pokémon nodded and then took off into the air as it readied itself for an aerial battle with Tropius.

"Alright then," Ash said with a grin. "Noctowl, let's go ahead and hit Tropius with an Extrasensory!"

Noctowl's eyes took on a golden glow and it opened its beak before releasing a multicolored circular beam with white crescents around it at Tropius.

"Tropius, intercept with Energy Ball!" Briar instructed.

The leaves on Tropius's back took on a green glow and it formed a green ball of energy in front of its mouth. It then fired the orb at Noctowl's attack, to which an explosion occurred upon impact.

"Now, use Leaf Storm!" Briar continued.

Tropius's leaves once again began to glow green before it released a cyclone of glowing green leaves at Noctowl. The Owl Pokémon did its best to dodge, but unfortunately, a few of the leaves managed to hit it, causing it to wince in pain.

"Noctowl, try and hit it with a Shadow Ball!" Ash told his Pokémon.

Noctowl nodded and then raised one of its wings across its chest. It suddenly began to form a black and purple orb of energy with black static around it at the tip of its wing. Once the orb had been fully formed, Noctowl threw it straight at Tropius.

"Tropius, use Sunny Day!" Briar ordered.

Tropius quickly fired an orange orb from its mouth into the air, causing the sun's rays to intensify and brighten.

"Now, use Solarbeam!" Briar yelled.

"No way!" Ash's eyes widened in panic.

Just as the Shadow Ball that Noctowl had fired reached the halfway mark on the field, Tropius released a powerful beam of golden energy from its mouth at its opponent, obliterating the shadowy orb and striking Noctowl straight in the chest.

"Noctowl!" Ash shouted in fear.

The power of the Solarbeam had sent Noctowl hurtling towards the ground until it crashed into the ground, creating a huge crater with smoke coming off of it.

Once the smoke finally cleared, everyone was surprised to see that Noctowl had managed to stand back up. However, from the looks of the bruises all over its body, it didn't look like Noctowl was going to last much longer.

"Noctowl, return!" Ash suddenly said as he held out his Pokéball and returned the Owl Pokémon back into the device.

"Take a good rest and I'll use you later," Ash whispered to the Pokémon within the ball.

The raven-haired trainer then hooked the ball back onto his belt and replaced it with another one.

"Glalie, I choose you!" Ash said as he threw the Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, a round Pokémon consisting of a black rock core appeared onto the field. It had two large, black, conical horns on either side of its head and its skin was covered by ice. Besides its horns, its icy blue eyes, and its large flat teeth, it looked almost like a large, floating soccer ball.

* * *

><p>Intrigued, Gavin took out his Pokédex and scanned his cousin's Pokémon.<p>

"_Glalie, the Face Pok__é__mon and one of the evolved-forms of Snorunt. Glalie has a tempered ice body that doesn't melt even under a direct flame. It can freeze vapors in the air instantly._"

Sitting beside him, Iris shivered with fear as she looked at Ash's Ice-type.

"Why does the kid have an Ice-type?" Iris said with her teeth chattering.

"Okay, two things," Cilan began. "One, I thought that you had gotten over your fear of Ice-types, and two, shouldn't you be used to this kind of thing from dealing with Cryogonal?"

"First off, it's a relapse, okay?" Iris glared at the connoisseur while still shivering. "Second, I sent Cryogonal back home to the Village of Dragons while you were sending your Gothorita back to the Striaton Gym."

"So is Cryogonal training with your Dragonite?" Dawn inquired.

Iris nodded. "I figured that the best training that it could get would be with an Ice-type while it trained under Drayden."

"Oh," Cilan and Dawn said with understanding. They then both turned their attention back towards the match.

* * *

><p>"So your second Pokémon is a Glalie, eh?" Briar said while raising an eyebrow. "Well, despite the type advantage, this battle won't be easy."<p>

"And that's just the way I like it," Ash said with a grin. "Glalie, let's get things going with Ice Beam!"

Glalie quickly began to charge a light blue ball of icy energy in between the horns on top of its head. It then fired several light blue beams from the ball at Tropius.

"Tropius, dodge and use Bullet Seed!" Briar instructed.

With a quick aerial maneuver, Tropius managed to dodge the beams of ice and then began to fire a barrage of gold seeds surrounded in a light green aura at a high velocity from its mouth at its opponent.

"Glalie, block it by using Gyro Ball!" Ash commanded.

Two light blue orbs suddenly appeared at the end of Glalie's horns and it began to spin around at a high speed. As the bullets pelted against it, its spinning lessened the damage that the seeds caused as they all ricocheted off of Glalie's body and then hit the ground.

"Now, use Headbutt!" Ash continued.

Glalie immediately stopped spinning and then proceeded to fly straight towards Tropius as it prepared to slam its body into it.

"Tropius, Headbutt as well!" Briar shouted.

Seconds later, both Pokémon slammed their bodies into each other and began to push against one another as they each struggled to gain supremacy.

Eventually, neither could take it anymore and the two broke apart and flew backwards a bit as they got ready to continue the battle.

"Glalie, try your Blizzard attack!" Ash called out.

Glalie opened its mouth and the inside of it began to glow light blue. It then released a powerful blizzard from its mouth at its opponent.

"Tropius, use Solarbeam!" Briar directed.

With the power of Sunny Day still in effect, Tropius opened its mouth and fired a golden beam of solar energy at Glalie's attack. The two attacks collided, but Tropius's Solarbeam proved to be more powerful as it pushed through Glalie's attack and ended up hitting Glalie in the face. The force of the beam was so strong that it pushed Glalie back until it hit a tree.

It was quite a sight to behold. Even though a Grass-type attack like Solarbeam was not supposed to cause much damage to an Ice-type like Glalie, Tropius's attack had managed to land a critical hit on Glalie. The Ice-type looked like it could still fight, but for how long?

"I've got to get rid of that Sunny Day," Ash murmured. "But how?"

The trainer thought about it for a moment, and then, all of the sudden, he had an idea that caused him to grin.

"Glalie, use Hail!" Ash ordered.

"What?" Briar blurted out in shock.

Glalie's body began to glow light blue as it floated up into the air. Then, thick clouds appeared above the battlefield before snow began to fall from them and a thick, gray fog filled the entire field.

"Now, Glalie, use Ice Beam!" Ash told it.

Glalie immediately fired several light blue beams of icy energy from in between its horns at the Fruit Pokémon.

As the icy beams struck it, Tropius screeched in pain due to the overall super-effectiveness the Ice-type attack had against it.

To make matters worse for the Grass/Flying-type, several large balls of hail suddenly fell from the clouds and struck it in the back, causing it even more damage.

"Tropius, we've got to hurry and end this!" Briar hollered out. "Use Razor Wind!"

"Glalie, use Sheer Cold!" Ash yelled.

All four of the leaves on Tropius's back took on a white glow as it built up a charge. It then flapped them out at the air in front of it and fired several white crescents of air straight at its opponent.

Meanwhile, Glalie's body became surrounded in a light blue aura and it opened its mouth, the inside of which was now glowing light blue. A spinning wind then came out of its mouth and it fired a powerful light blue beam of icy energy surrounded in light blue snowflake-shaped sparkles at Tropius.

Somehow, however, both attacks managed to narrowly miss each other and continued on towards their intended targets. Both attacks then ended up hitting the two Pokémon and knocked them both to the ground.

Immediately after the two crashed into the ground, the snowing ceased and the gray clouds and fog dissipated, leaving everything sunny again.

Once everyone looked at the field, however, they all were shocked to see that both Pokémon had been knocked out by each other's attacks.

"Neither Pokémon is able to battle!" Flora told everybody. "This round is therefore declared a draw!"

* * *

><p>"I can't believe that they both got knocked out," Leaf said as she and the others watched Ash and Briar return their Pokémon to their Pokéballs.<p>

"But Ash still has the advantage, seeing as how he's only lost one Pokémon while Briar's lost two," Gary commented.

"I wonder what Pokémon Briar has left," The red-haired girl thought out loud before glaring angrily at Max.

It was at this point that Max couldn't take it anymore, so he stood up, looked down at the girl, and then shouted, "Look! I'm sorry, but I don't remember you! Could you at least tell me who you are so that we can get rid of all of this awkward tension?"

The others all gasped in shock. They had never seen Max this mad before. However, this may have been his biggest mistake as the girl stood up and glared at him with enough anger to possibly match against Misty's temper. Max gulped as the girl's face turned almost as red as her hair and tears began to stream from her eyes.

"You want to know who I am?" The girl began to yell. "FINE! MY NAME IS VIVI WINSTRATE!"

Max's eyes widened in shock, along with several of the others after the girl revealed her identity. Before the boy could say anything, though, the girl who they now knew was Vivi Winstrate stormed off outside.

"Wait!" Max shouted as he ran after her.

May attempted to get up and run after her brother, but Brock stopped her.

"This is something that Max has to handle on his own," Brock calmly told her.

May opened her mouth to say something, but shut it once she realized that the Pokémon Breeder was right. Max was old enough to handle this by himself.

As May sat back down, Jeremiah turned his attention away from the others and back towards the battlefield.

'_Ketchum has gotten quite stronger since I first met him_,' He thought as he watched the raven-haired trainer take a Pokéball from his belt and prepare to throw it. '_However, he's going to have to be careful during these next few battles. Briar still has yet to bring out his strongest Pok__é__mon_.'

* * *

><p>Whether Ash had noticed the events involving Max and Vivi Winstrate was unclear because all of his focus seemed to be directed towards his opponent. Even though he was currently winning, he could tell that things were about to get a whole lot harder.<p>

"Torterra, sprout and grow!" Briar said as he hurled a Pokéball towards the field.

In a burst of blue light, a large turtle with a tree growing on its back landed with a thud on the grassy field.

Ash didn't have to scan this Pokémon with his Pokédex. He knew this particular Pokémon very well from his experiences with his own Torterra and Paul's Torterra. Noctowl wasn't quite ready to battle again just yet, but there was one Pokémon that he knew would be perfect against this opponent.

"Heracross, I choose you!" Ash yelled as he threw the Pokéball in his hand into the air.

In a flash of light, a large, blue beetle-like Pokémon with a large, pronged horn protruding out of its forehead appeared onto the field.

"Hera-cross!" The Pokémon cried out as it prepared to fight the Continent Pokémon opposite of it.

* * *

><p>"Hey, it's Heracross!" May said with a smile. "That'll be great against Torterra!"<p>

Leaf, who had only seen a Heracross once before, pulled out her Pokédex to find out more about Ash's Pokémon.

"_Heracross, the Single Horn Pok__é__mon. Using the sharp claws on its feet, it generates enough power to throw its opponents with amazing force. Though generally gentle and docile, it possesses great strength and power._"

* * *

><p>"Interesting," Briar said as he looked upon Ash's BugFighting-type Pokémon. "I can already tell that I'm gonna have a bit of trouble with this one. Let's see what it's got. Torterra, use Leaf Storm!"

The leaves on the tree on Torterra's back began to glow a light green, and then, it released a cyclone of wind and glowing light green leaves from the tree towards its opponent.

"Heracross, dodge it and use Horn Attack!" Ash commanded.

Heracross's wings quickly came out of its back and it used them to fly out of the way of Torterra's attack. It then flew straight towards the large turtle with its now glowing silver horn aimed directly at it.

"Torterra, ward it away with Stone Edge!" Briar ordered.

Three blue rings surrounded Torterra's body before they turned white and formed into chunks of gray stones that circled around it. Its eyes then glowed green and it fired the stones at the oncoming Heracross.

"Block them with Fury Attack!" Ash instructed.

As the stones came towards it, Heracross began to swipe at them using its arms and horn to crush them or simply knock them to the ground as it continued on towards Torterra.

Once all of the stones had been dealt with, Heracross managed to fly towards Torterra and strike it in the back with its Horn Attack. The Continent Pokémon grunted as it took in the blow.

After it finished its attack, Heracross back-flipped a few feet away and landed safely on its feet as it prepared for Torterra's next attack.

"Torterra, use Seed Bomb!" Briar called out.

Torterra opened its mouth and a green orb was seen inside of it. It then fired a barrage of multiple glowing green seeds from its mouth at Heracross.

"Heracross, block them with Endure!" Ash told it.

Heracross quickly put its arms in front of its face as it was struck repeatedly by the seeds that Torterra had fired at it. Even though each seed didn't seem to do much damage, Heracross could be seen slowly sliding a few inches as the seeds pushed it back.

"Now, Torterra, use Rock Climb!" Briar grinned.

Torterra's claws suddenly glowed white and they grew longer. It then got onto its hind legs and slammed its front ones into the ground. The ground under Heracross's feet then separated and a large pillar of stone protruded from the ground, lifting the Pokémon up into the air.

Torterra then ran up the side of the stone pillar with ease and prepared to slam its body into Heracross's.

"Heracross, hurry and use Megahorn straight into the ground!" Ash shouted.

Heracross nodded and its horn took on a bright white glow before slamming its horn into the stone pillar just as Torterra was getting close to it.

"Huh?" Briar raised an eyebrow in confusion. Then, he realized what Ash was doing. "Torterra, look out!"

"Too late," Ash smirked. "Heracross, fling it into the air!"

As Torterra was about to slam into it, Heracross pulled its horn out of the ground, using it to lift Torterra into the air and fling it down towards the ground.

"Now finish it off with a Focus Punch!" Ash directed.

Heracross took off into the air from the stone pillar and then flew straight towards the falling Torterra and struck it in the belly with two glowing light blue arms. The force of its attack managed to make Torterra fall faster and crash into the ground. As it landed, it sent a cloud of dust all over the field.

While everyone waited for the smoke to clear, the stone pillar from Torterra's Rock Climb attack slowly went back into the ground until it looked like it had never even been there in the first place.

Then, the smoke finally cleared and everyone was amazed to see an unconscious Torterra lying on its back with Heracross sitting triumphantly on its belly.

"Torterra is unable to battle," Flora announced. "Heracross is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"Woo-hoo!" May and the other girls cheered. "Way to go, Heracross!"<p>

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu said happily with a smile.

Meowth, meanwhile, remained sitting, but he still had a huge grin on his face.

"Not too shabby, Boss," He said quietly, looking quite impressed.

* * *

><p>At that moment, while Briar recalled his Torterra back into its ball, Ash looked down at Heracross and said, "Hey, why don't you come back for a little while and I'll use you later?"<p>

"Hera-cross," Heracross nodded in agreement.

Ash then held out its Pokéball and a red beam of light was fired from it, engulfing the Single Horn Pokémon's body in a red light before it disappeared back into the ball.

Ash smiled at the Pokéball and then hooked it back onto his belt before he took another one off and threw it into the air, yelling, "Torkoal, I choose you!"

In a burst of light, a small, tortoise-like Pokémon with reddish-brown skin, a large black rock-like shell with "holes" that glowed with a red warmth, and gray-black bands on its legs and long neck. Its eyes also seemed to be closed.

"Tor-koal!" The Coal Pokémon called out as it blew smoke from its nostrils and the top of its back.

"Well," Briar said as he looked upon Ash's Pokémon. "I think I know exactly who to use against this Pokémon. Sawsbuck, sprout and grow!"

Instantaneously, a brown, deer-like creature with rhombus-shaped ears, a cream-colored belly, and a dark brown nose appeared onto the field. Its chin, the sides of its face, and its lower legs were all cream in coloration and its eyes and belly had light orange stripes that rimmed each of them.

Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

"_Sawsbuck, the Season Pok__é__mon and the evolved-form of Deerling. The plants on its horns change depending on the time of the year, and people often use them to measure the passing of the seasons._"

Ash noticed that this particular Sawsbuck was in its Summer Form, seeing as how its antlers were fully grown with green leaves.

"Okay, Torkoal," Ash said as he looked towards his Pokémon. "It's time we warmed things up with a Flamethrower!"

Torkoal grunted and then released a stream of red-orange fire from its mouth at the Sawsbuck.

"Dodge it and then use Faint Attack!" Briar commanded.

With amazing speed, Sawsbuck dodged the Fire-type attack and then disappeared before reappearing behind Torkoal and throwing it up into the air with its horns.

"Now use Jump Kick!" Briar cried out.

As Torkoal flew up into the air, Sawsbuck quickly turned around and kicked its opponent even further upwards with its back legs.

"Koal!" Torkoal yelled as it flew up into the air.

"Torkoal, hurry and use Rapid Spin!" Ash instructed.

Torkoal quickly pulled its head and all of its limbs into its shell and began spinning at a rapid speed as it changed directions in mid-air. It then started to fly straight towards Sawsbuck.

"Sawsbuck, use Horn Leech!" Briar shouted.

Sawsbuck lowered its head and its horns became surrounded in orange. Its horns then started to glow gold and it charged at the flying Torkoal with its horns pointed at it.

"Torkoal, stop it with Smokescreen!" Ash directed.

Torkoal immediately began to release thick black smoke from its nostrils and the top of its back into the air as it spun around, hiding its body from view.

Sawsbuck ceased its attack and came to a stop. It began to look around, hoping to see its opponent in the smoke, but it had no such luck.

"Now, Torkoal! Hit it!" Ash said enthusiastically.

All of the sudden, Torkoal came out of nowhere and slammed its spinning body into Sawsbuck. While the Normal/Grass-type grunted in pain, Torkoal jumped backwards and landed back onto the ground.

"Great job, Torkoal! Now, let's finish it off with Overheat!" Ash ordered.

Torkoal quickly opened its mouth, which had suddenly begun to glow white. It then released a stream of white-hot fire that had a red-orange flame spiraling around it at the disgruntled Sawsbuck.

Before Sawsbuck could do anything, it was hit directly on its side by the blast, causing an explosion that covered the Season Pokémon's body in smoke.

"You did it, Torkoal!" Ash cheered.

"Tor-koal!" Torkoal said, crying happily.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Ash," Briar suddenly called out to him, causing Ash to immediately stop cheering.

All of the sudden, Ash's eyes widened in shock when the smoke cleared and he saw Sawsbuck still standing strong.

"B-b-but how?" Ash stammered.

"Sawsbuck, it's time to take Torkoal out," Briar said with a smirk. "Use Megahorn!"

Sawsbuck lowered its head and a radiating silver energy erupted from the ends of its horns, covering them completely. It then began to charge straight towards Torkoal with its head down.

"Torkoal, use Iron Defense!" Ash said in a panicked tone.

As Sawsbuck came at it, Torkoal pulled all of its limbs into its shell as its body became outlined in a light blue glow. Then, a white shine went up its body and its body and shell turned to iron just as Sawsbuck struck it with its Megahorn attack.

"Sawsbuck, rapid-fire Energy Ball!" Briar cried out.

At once, Sawsbuck began to fire multiple orbs of light green energy at Torkoal, who was still hiding in its shell. Even though Torkoal's shell was strong, it didn't look like it was going to last much longer as it was pounded by Sawsbuck's attacks.

"Now, end it with Leech Seed!" Briar told his Pokémon.

"No!" Ash yelled in distress.

Sawsbuck lowered its head and fired a seed from its antlers at Torkoal. As soon as the seed hit Torkoal, it attached itself to the back of its shell and began to sprout vines that immediately wrapped around Torkoal until the Coal Pokémon was completely entangled in them. The vines then took on a red glow as the Fire-type's energy was zapped, causing it to scream in pain.

"Torkoal!" Ash said in fear.

After a few moments, the red glow vanished and the vines turned dry before they fell off of Torkoal's body. Once the vines were gone, Torkoal's head and limbs all popped back out, and Ash was shocked to see that it had been knocked out.

"Torkoal is unable to battle!" Flora declared. "Sawsbuck is the winner!"

* * *

><p>Everyone in the group was shocked as Ash returned Torkoal back into its Pokéball.<p>

"How did that Sawsbuck beat Torkoal so easily?" Dawn asked. "Torkoal's Overheat alone should have defeated it!"

"No, it happened just the way it was meant to happen," Gavin suddenly spoke up, surprising the others.

"Huh?" Brock, who was for once as dumbfounded as the others, said with a confused look on his face. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you notice that after Ash had Torkoal use Iron Defense, Briar only relied upon Special Attacks?" Gavin inquired as he looked at Sawsbuck. "You see, the thing is that despite Torkoal's high Defense, its Special Defense is weak. Briar knew that if he pounded against that stat, Torkoal would eventually be knocked out completely."

The others were at a loss. He was absolutely right! If that was true, how was Ash going to defeat Sawsbuck?

* * *

><p>'<em>I've only got three Pok<em>_é__mon left_,' Ash thought as he analyzed his opponent's Pokémon. '_Heracross and Noctowl have already been in battles, so if this Sawsbuck does to them what it did to Torkoal, they'll be toast! Guess I have no choice then._'

Ash's hand immediately went down to his belt where it unhooked a Pokéball from its belt. He then threw it into the air and yelled, "Muk, I choose you!"

In a flash of light, a large purple blob of toxic sludge appeared onto the grassy field, causing everyone to flinch slightly.

"Muuuuuuk!" Muk bellowed as it glared at its opponent.

"Alright, Muk, are you ready for this?" Ash asked his Pokémon.

Muk nodded and gave him a thumbs-up. The Sludge Pokémon knew that now was the time for battling. It could smother and suffocate its trainer later.

"This may be a tricky opponent," Briar commented. "Okay, then! Sawsbuck, use Take Down!"

Sawsbuck began to charge straight towards Muk with its antlers pointed at it. As it ran, its body became surrounded in bronze-colored shining energy and a bright gold forcefield appeared in front of its antlers.

"Muk, just stand your ground," Ash instructed.

Muk nodded just as Sawsbuck came close and slammed its body into the glob of sludge. However, when the Season Pokémon tried to pull away, it found that it couldn't. It was stuck!

"Perfect!" Ash grinned. "My plan worked!"

"What?" Briar's eyes widened in shock. "You wanted this to happen?"

"Yup," Ash said smugly. "I knew that if Sawsbuck tried to use any physical attack on Muk, it would just get trapped! Now, it's our turn! Muk, use Fling!"

Upon command, Muk picked Sawsbuck up with its gooey arms and flung it across the field, resulting in Sawsbuck crash-landing into the ground.

"Follow it up with Sludge Bomb!" Ash ordered.

Just as Sawsbuck was attempting to stand back up on its feet, Muk opened its mouth and fired a barrage of balls of brown sludge at it. As the sludge balls began to pound against its body, Sawsbuck practically screamed due to the agonizing pain.

"Sawsbuck, heal yourself using Synthesis!" Briar called out.

After it managed to lift its head up off of the ground, Sawsbuck's body became surrounded by white sparkles and its whole body began to glow white. As well, the leaves on its antlers then glowed brightly as it slowly healed its injuries.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Ash said with a smirk. "Muk, finish it off with Body Slam!"

Muk quickly jumped into the air and Sawsbuck flinched in terror as the Sludge Pokémon fell on top of it. Muk's body covered Sawsbuck's for a few moments before it decided to slide off.

As it did, everyone gasped when they saw that Sawsbuck had been knocked out cold by Muk's attack.

"Sawsbuck is unable to battle!" Flora said out loud. "Muk is the winner!"

* * *

><p>"Alright!" Dawn and May cheered enthusiastically. "Now Ash has only one more Pokémon to beat!"<p>

"Uh, guys," Brock suddenly said, catching the others' attention. "Isn't this a bad time to be getting too excited?"

"What do you mean, Brock?" Misty asked.

"What I mean is that usually when Ash is battling a gym leader, the last Pokémon that the gym leader sends out is their most powerful and seemingly unstoppable Pokémon," Brock explained. "Then, that Pokémon ends up knocking out almost all of Ash's Pokémon until he only has one left."

Everyone thought about this for a moment. Was every gym battle of Ash's really that predictable?

"Nah," The girls all said in unison. "Ash will beat Briar's last Pokémon easy. There's no way that the writer would do that."

It was at this point that Gavin looked around for a moment and thought out loud, "I wonder where Max is."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, just outside the gym, Max was frantically searching for Vivi. For about ten minutes, he had been looking around everywhere, but unfortunately, he couldn't find her anywhere.<p>

"Vivi!" Max yelled with worry. "I'm sorry! Where are you?"

He continued looking every which way until he suddenly heard someone sobbing from behind a nearby tree. He then walked over towards the tree. His frown deepened when he saw Vivi sitting up against the tree with her arms hugging themselves around her legs and her face hidden in her arms.

"Uh, Vivi," Max hesitantly said as he stopped just several feet in front of her. "Are you...uh…okay?"

"Am I okay?" He heard Vivi say in a muffled voice. "AM I OKAY? DO I LOOK LIKE I'M OKAY?"

She lifted her head and Max saw that Vivi's face was now just as red as her face and tears were literally streaming from her eyes, which had turned red as well.

"How could you?" Vivi asked with venom in her voice. "I've been waiting for forever to find you in the hopes of seeing you again, but then, when I finally did run into you, you didn't even recognize me! What do you have to say for yourself?"

Max was silent for a moment as his head drooped to the ground to where Vivi couldn't see his eyes behind the glare of sunlight that shone on his glasses.

Eventually, he spoke up and said, "Vivi, I'm sorry. I should have recognized you, but I didn't. And for that, I will always be sorry. But even though I may not have recognized you, I never forgot you."

Vivi perked up slightly. "You didn't?"

Max shook his head. "I even came to visit you when I went on my journey through Hoenn, but you weren't there."

* * *

><p>(Flashback)<p>

_It was a bright and shining day as Max walked through the desert towards the home of the Winstrate family. _

_ As he walked, he had a wide grin on his face and a small, white Pok__é__mon with a green "helmet" that covered its eyes and two red horns on the front and back of its helmet hanging onto his shoulder. _

_ "Looks like we're almost there," Max said with a grin as he looked over at the Pok__é__mon on his shoulder. "Are you excited, Ralts?"_

_ Ralts nodded and happily chimed out, "Ral-ral!"_

_ Max then looked down beside him and said, "How about you, buddy?"_

_Walking by his side was a small, green, bipedal Pok__é__mon with hands and feet that each had three digits, a large, dark green tail with two separate lobes, and a red throat and stomach. As well, it had yellow eyes with long, narrow pupils and a line across its stomach that resembled a pouch._

"_Tree-cko," The Wood Gecko Pok__é__mon said calmly with an aura that practically emanated coolness._

_Max smiled and then looked back towards the road. His smile widened, however, when he noticed a familiar-looking house just up ahead._

"_Alright! We're here!" Max exclaimed as he broke out into a run towards the Winstrate house with Ralts holding on tight to his shoulder and Treecko frantically running after him in an attempt to keep up with its trainer._

_As soon as the three of them ran up onto their front porch, Max knocked on the door. Seconds later, a woman who looked like an older version of Vivi opened the door._

"_Oh, if it isn't Max!" Victoria Winstrate said with a smile as she saw the teal-haired boy standing in front of her. "What brings you here?"_

"_Well, I'm kind of on my journey right now," Max started to say while nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "And I decided to stop by and visit on my way to Lavaridge Town for my next gym battle. So, is Vivi here?"_

"_Oh, I'm so sorry, Max," Victoria said with a surprised look on her face. "But Vivi's on her journey right now as well. If I'm not mistaken, she's in Fortree City at the moment."_

"_Oh." Max's head drooped sadly at the mention of this news. "Well, thanks anyway."_

_With that, Max walked off away from the Winstrate house and back into the desert with his Pok__é__mon._

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>"So you see," Max continued, "I really wanted to see you again. I'm sorry that I didn't recognize you. I hope that you can forgive me."<p>

Suddenly, Max felt someone wrap their arms around him and put their head on his shoulder, which began to feel wet as tears dripped down onto it.

"Of course I forgive you!" Vivi said with happiness in her voice. "I'm just glad that I was finally able to see you again!"

Max looked down at the girl hugging him and smiled. "Me too."

* * *

><p>Back inside, Ash was getting psyched as he waited for Briar to unleash his final Pokémon.<p>

"Just one more battle and then I'll get my fourth badge!" Ash said enthusiastically. "You ready for this, Muk?"

"Muk!" Muk grinned happily.

Across the field, however, Briar had a serious look on his face that soon turned into a smirk.

"Well, Ash, this has been an awesome battle," He said as he took out his last Pokéball. "But now, it's all over. Tangrowth sprout and grow!"

Briar then threw the Pokéball into the air, and in a flash of light, the Grass-type gym leader's final Pokémon appeared. At the sight of this Pokémon, Ash and the others all gasped.

Currently on the opposite side of the field was a large creature that stood over 6 feet tall. It had a black body wrapped up in a multitude of blue vines. Its stubby black feet were tipped with red and a pair of blue arms that had three fingers tipped with red. As well, it had a pair of saucer-like eyes that peeked out from beneath the tangled mess of vines that covered its body.

"Tan-growth," The Vine Pokémon said in a deep voice as it gave Muk and Ash a piercing stare.

* * *

><p>"Who's that Pokémon?" May asked the others.<p>

"It's a Tangrowth," Gary said, recognizing the Pokémon from his travels through the Sinnoh Region.

"Tangrowth?" Leaf repeated with a confused look on her face.

"Here, check this out," Gavin said as he showed the others his Pokédex.

"_Tangrowth, the Vine Pok__é__mon and the evolved-form of Tangela. It ensnares prey by extending arms made of vines. If they are cut off, they grow right back._"

"Well, it's been a while since I've seen Tangrowth in battle," Jeremiah said with a sigh. "Usually, Briar is able to beat most trainers with his other Pokémon before he has to bring out Tangrowth. Ash certainly is a powerful trainer."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Cilan inquired.

"What I mean is that Tangrowth is Briar's most powerful Pokémon," Jeremiah explained, "and very few trainers have ever been able to defeat it."

* * *

><p>Ash blinked a few times at the sight of Briar's Tangrowth before blurting out, "We can beat that pile of vines easily!"<p>

"Oh, really?" Briar raised an eyebrow and gave Ash a smirk. "I'd like to see that. Give us your best shot."

"Okay, you asked for it!" Ash said before pointing straight at Tangrowth. "Muk, hit it with Gunk Shot!"

Muk put its hands together and created an orb of a purple, toxic-looking sludge in between them. Then, it fired a stream of poison sludge from the orb straight at Tangrowth.

"Tangrowth, intercept with AncientPower!" Briar instructed.

Tangrowth's body began to glow white and it created a see-through after image of itself. The after image then spun around quickly and formed in between its outstretched arms as a silver ball with a green core. It then threw the orb at Muk's attack.

As the two attacks collided, they exploded upon contact into a cloud of black smoke that soon after dissipated.

"How did it…?" Ash started to say before shaking his head and yelling, "Muk, use Brick Break!"

Muk's hand glowed white as it slid towards and swung a glowing white arm at its Grass-type opponent.

"Tangrowth, block it with Knock Off!" Briar directed.

Tangrowth's arm became surrounded by black sparks and then it lashed it at Muk's arm, deflecting the strike and lessening the damage that it received significantly.

"Now, hit it with Earthquake!" Briar commanded.

Tangrowth lifted up one of its stubby legs into the air and brought it down hard, causing the ground to tremble and shake dangerously. As the ground shook, Muk grunted as it struggled to stand its ground.

"Follow it up with Confusion!" Briar continued.

Tangrowth's eyes glowed light blue before Muk's body became outlined in a similar glow and the Sludge Pokémon flinched as he was hurt by the psychic energy.

"Finish it off with Power Whip!" Briar shouted.

Both of Tangrowth's arms glowed purple as it lashed them out and hit Muk with them. The blow from the attack was so strong that it knocked the Poison-type out cold.

"Muk," Muk gurgled as it slumped to the ground in its unconscious state.

"Muk is unable to battle!" Flora announced. "Tangrowth is the winner!"

Ash quickly recalled Muk back into its Pokéball and hooked the device back onto his belt. He then grabbed another Pokéball and threw it into the air, yelling, "Noctowl, I choose you!"

In a burst of light blue light, the Owl Pokémon reappeared onto the field. It looked a bit beaten down, but it still looked like it was able to fight.

"Alright, Noctowl, we can do this!" Ash said encouragingly. "Use Air Slash!"

Noctowl immediately fired a barrage of light blue glowing saw disc-like energy blades at its opponent.

"Tangrowth, use Protect!" Briar hollered out.

As the energy blades came towards it, Tangrowth created a bluish-green force field in front of itself, blocking Noctowl's attack and protecting it from damage.

Ash growled angrily. "Noctowl, use Sky Attack!"

Noctowl's eyebrow tufts glowed white and it flew into the air before its body became surrounded by a white aura as it flew at Tangrowth.

Briar sneered. "Tangrowth, take it out with Shock Wave!"

"What?" Ash's eyes widened in shock as he watched Tangrowth fire a jagged beam of yellow electricity at Noctowl.

Noctowl screamed with agonizing pain as it was struck with the super-effective attack. After a few seconds of electrocution, Noctowl was knocked unconscious and was sent hurtling towards the ground until it landed with a "_THUD_".

"Noctowl is unable to battle!" Flora said to everyone. "Tangrowth is the winner!"

* * *

><p>Everyone in the stands was completely shocked. Ash had gone from winning with three Pokémon in his arsenal to having only one Pokémon left. It was at this point that Max and Vivi returned from being outside.<p>

"Hey, guys," Max said as he and Vivi sat back down in the bleachers. "So what's going on? How's Ash doing?"

"Um, well," Dawn gulped as she stared at the field. "Ash managed to defeat Briar's Torterra and Sawsbuck, but his Tangrowth took out both Ash's Muk and Noctowl. Now, Ash only has one Pokémon left."

"Plup," Piplup said sadly as it sat in Dawn's lap and covered its eyes.

"Man, that sounds like something the writer would do to get back at the main characters for breaking the fourth wall," Vivi commented.

"Oh, come on," Gary said calmly. "The writer wouldn't do that, would he?"

**(Yes. Yes, I would. Now get back to the battle and stop breaking the fourth wall or else you all will suffer my wrath!)**

* * *

><p>Ash could feel his body shake nervously as he stared at Briar and his Tangrowth. The raven-haired trainer was trying to keep his cool, but was struggling greatly.<p>

'_This is nuts_,' Ash thought as he looked at his opponents. '_That Tangrowth took out both Muk and Noctowl without even breaking a sweat. Now, all that I have left is Heracross, but will it be enough to beat that Tangrowth?_'

Ash then shook his head and a confident look appeared in his brown eyes.

"No, I can't give up," Ash said with a passion now burning within him. "If I give up, then all of my Pokémon will have fought all of those tough battles for nothing. It's time to win this!"

He then turned his cap around and threw his last Pokéball into the air, shouting out, "Heracross, I choose you!"

Instantly, the Single Horn Pokémon rematerialized onto the field and gave Tangrowth a piercing glare.

"Heracross, let's get going!" Ash grinned. "Use Aerial Ace!"

Heracross took off into the air with a high burst of speed with a clear aura and white streaks around its body as it flew towards Tangrowth.

"Tangrowth, stop it with Power Whip!" Briar ordered.

Tangrowth nodded and then stretched out its light purple glowing arm at Heracross before slamming it down to the ground.

"Heracross, try your Night Slash!" Ash cried out.

Heracross's claws turned a whitish purple as it jumped up and slashed them at Tangrowth.

"Use Giga Drain!" Briar yelled.

Tangrowth held out its arms and fired two green tendrils from them at the oncoming Heracross. As Heracross was hit, its body was wrapped up tight while its energy was drained.

"Heracross, you've got to break out!" Ash told his Pokémon. "Use Struggle Bug!"

Heracross's body briefly became surrounded in a red aura. The aura then faded away before it broke out of Tangrowth's energy tendrils with a huge dome of red energy that burst out of its body and disrupted the Grass-type's attack.

"Now, use Focus Punch!" Ash hollered out.

Heracross's forearm began to glow light blue as it prepared to punch Tangrowth.

"Tangrowth, use Protect!" Briar said with a confident grin.

Tangrowth nodded and created a bluish-green forcefield around its body in preparation for Heracross's attack.

"Gotcha," Ash smiled. "Heracross, switch to Feint!"

Heracross's horn glowed white as it jumped at Tangrowth and slammed its horn into Tangrowth's forcefield, destroying the barrier completely.

"No!" Briar shouted in utter shock. "Tangrowth, hurry and grab it with Wrap!"

Tangrowth quickly flung both of its arms at Heracross and wrapped them around its horn.

"Big mistake," Ash said with a glint in his eye. "Heracross, give it a throw!"

Heracross grinned menacingly, which caused Tangrowth to freak out before the Bug/Fighting-type started to spin Tangrowth around with its horn. After a few seconds, Heracross threw Tangrowth up high into the air.

"Let's end this," Ash said with a serious look on his face. "Use Megahorn!"

Heracross quickly flew up into the air high above the airborne Tangrowth. Its horn then glowed in a bright white glow as it rammed it into Tangrowth's chest and sent it crashing into the ground.

As the two hit the ground, a huge cloud of dust covered the entire battlefield. Once it finally cleared away, everyone saw an unconscious Tangrowth lying on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Tangrowth is unable to battle!" Flora declared. "Heracross is the winner! The victory goes to Ash!"

"We did it!" Ash fist-pumped into the air with glee.

Suddenly, Ash was almost tackled to the ground by a certain brunette that wore a red bandana.

"You were amazing!" May said as she squeezed the trainer tightly.

"Thanks, May," Ash grinned. Then, he noticed Briar walking over with a beaten-up Tangrowth and his assistant Flora by his side.

"Ash, that was a brilliant battle," Briar said with a smile. "As proof of your victory, it is my pleasure to give you the Jungle Badge."

The Gym Leader then placed a small piece of metal into Ash's hand that was shaped like a palm tree with green leaves and a dark brown trunk carved into it.

Ash's smile grew even wider before he held the badge into the air and proclaimed, "I just won…a Jungle Badge!"

"Pi-pika-chu!" Pikachu said while giving his signature peace sign.

"Hera-cross!" Heracross winked and gave a thumbs-up.

All of the sudden, the celebration was brought to a halt as a small part of the wall behind them burst open in a large explosion.

Everyone quickly turned around and they were all shocked to see a large hole in the wall. Then, a red blur suddenly jumped through it and out in front of them.

Now standing before them was a large, red, bird-like creature with long, beige-colored, hair-like feathers on its head, a red crest on its head with two points, resembling a "V," and a hooked beak. As well, it had gray, three-fingered hands with flames shooting out from its wrists, strong, muscular legs with yellow feathers on the bottoms, and three-clawed toes. What was most menacing about it, however, was that its left eye was blue with a yellow sclera, but the right one had a white iris with a scar running down it.

"Blaz-i-ken!" The bird yelled out angrily.

"It's a Blaziken!" Misty exclaimed.

"But what's it doing here?" Gary thought out loud.

Suddenly, the one-eyed Blaziken's sights turned to Pichu and it looked even angrier.

"Blaz-i-ken!" Blaziken yelled out as it jumped out at the Tiny Electric Mouse Pokémon with its fists cloaked in red-yellow flames.

"Pichu!" Gavin yelled out.

"Pi-chu!" Pichu shouted in terror as it dodged several Fire Punches from the Blaziken and began running away from it.

"It's after Pichu!" Meowth said in shock.

Then, the Blaziken opened its mouth and released an intense blast of exploding flames straight at Pichu.

"Pichu, look out!" Gavin called out to his partner.

"Piiiiiii!" Pichu cried out as it raised its arms up and prepared for the flames to hit it.

What is this strange Blaziken doing there and why is it attacking Pichu? Will everyone's favorite Electric-type be able to get out of this one? Tune in and find out next time on "Pokémon: League of Ultimates"!

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 47: "A New Rival Appears! Pichu's Burning Ambition!"<span>_ – Just after Ash received his fourth badge, a powerful Blaziken has appeared that seems to want to destroy Pichu! Not only that, but this Blaziken's trainer seems to have something against Gavin! How will they get out of this one? Stay tuned for the next chapter! It's a real scorcher!

**I hope you guys enjoyed this long overdue chapter! Read and Review!**

**Okay, now I'll explain why I haven't updated in so long. Some of you may or may not know that I have been having to take summer classes since the beginning of June. Now, I thought that they were going to be easy and that I was going to be able to have plenty of time to write, but unfortunately, it's been project after project, quiz after quiz, assignment after assignment, essay after essay, and exam after exam! I barely have time to even think! What's worse, is that six of my co-workers where I work decided to all quit at the same time, and I've been having to work even more than usual until we hire and train a bunch of new employees! Plus, in the case of fanfiction, I've been busy with five or six different fanfics that cause me a lot of writer's block.  
><strong>

**I'm sorry about the slowness and lack of updates, but at this moment, I'm really busy and have very little time to write. However, once we get into August and I get back to my regular college, I'll have plenty of free time to work on fanfics, so you all will have to hold out until then. Sorry, but I have to do well in these summer classes and deal with work. I'll try to write as much as I can, but it'll probably be slow until August. I appreciate you all still reading though!**

**Now, due to the new review features that now force me to take in both regular and guest reviews, there is a new rule for guest reviewers. If you review, it must be a credible review and it must make sense! Try to stay relevant in your reviews regarding the chapter! This goes for everyone, but I've been having the most trouble with the guest reviews! So, if any of the guest reviews are irrelevant and are not credible, they will be deleted. Some people have said that there's a good chance that this story could one day have the most reviews out of all Pokemon fanfiction, but if I was to achieve that goal, I want them to be credible. I'm sorry and I'm not trying to be mean, but I really don't need to have another review war right now. Thank you for listening!  
><strong>

**Oh, and this is a message to any and all Advanceshippers! If you would like to have a new place where you can have fun and talk to many other Advanceshippers, please send me a PM! Do not ask me about this in your review! I will only tell you more information if you PM me. So, if you're interested, send a PM my way!  
><strong>

**Okay, until next time! See ya!  
><strong>


	47. Chapter 47

**Hey, guys! Finally got this chapter done! Hope ya like it! Look for an announcement at the end of the chapter! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

_Chapter 47: "A New Rival Appears! Pichu's Burning Ambition!"_

Previously on "Pokémon: League of Ultimates"…

(Flashback)

"_So, Team Umbra knows who you are?"_

"_Apparently," Gavin said with bitterness in his voice._

"_Because if they find out who I really am, not only will they hate me, but also, Team Umbra might come after them as well," Gavin explained. "I can't risk it."_

"_You want to know who I am?" The girl began to yell. "FINE! MY NAME IS VIVI WINSTRATE!" _

"_Let's end this," Ash said with a serious look on his face. "Use Megahorn!"_

"_Tangrowth is unable to battle!" Flora declared. "Heracross is the winner! The victory goes to Ash!"_

_Ash's smile grew even wider before he held the badge into the air and proclaimed, "I just won…a Jungle Badge!"_

"_Blaz-i-ken!" The bird yelled out angrily._

_ "It's a Blaziken!" Misty exclaimed._

_ "But what's it doing here?" Gary thought out loud._

"_It's after Pichu!" Meowth said in shock._

"_Pichu, look out!" Gavin called out to his partner._

_ "Piiiiiii!" Pichu cried out as it raised its arms up and prepared for the flames to hit it._

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>"Piiiiii!" Pichu flinched as he waited to be hit by the Blaze Pokémon's powerful-looking Fire-type attack to hit him.<p>

"Look out!" Gavin yelled with a look of fear mixed with anger.

Then, just as the flames were about to hit Pichu, a male voice called out, "Mightyena, Shadow Ball!"

A glowing black sphere surrounded by purple static was shot out of nowhere and crashed into Blaziken's attack before it could cause Pichu any harm. An explosion occurred, causing a cloud of deep black smoke to fog up the area.

Everyone coughed as they struggled to breathe in the smog that was literally choking them.

"Pidgeot!" The voice from before shouted out. "Clear out the smoke with Whirlwind!"

Suddenly, the group began to hear a flapping noise that was followed by a fierce wind that instantly cleared all of the smoke clouds from the area.

As soon as Gavin could finally see again, he frantically looked around for his partner. Eventually, Gavin saw the little Electric-type still standing with not even a scratch on him.

"Pichu!" Gavin said in relief, catching his Pokémon's attention.

"Pi-chu-pi!" Pichu exclaimed before running back to his trainer and hopping back up onto his shoulder.

"I'm glad you're safe, buddy," Gavin smiled as he rubbed Pichu's head fondly.

Then, all of the sudden, everyone flinched when they heard the one-eyed Blaziken let out an angry cry.

"BLAAAAAAZE," It said as it opened its mouth and slowly began to charge up another Flamethrower.

Before it even had a chance to finish charging up its attack, however, the voice from before said, "That's enough, Blaziken!"

Everyone, including the rogue Blaziken, turned towards the source of the voice to see a guy that looked about sixteen standing there with a Mightyena standing by his side, a Pidgeot flying above him, and an Eevee sitting on his shoulder.

He was tall, probably almost six feet, with spiked-up black hair and cold hazel-green eyes. He wore a plain black T-shirt, faded blue jeans, and a pair of gray-and-blue sneakers. The expression on his face was one without emotion and he seemed to be glaring at Gavin intently.

"So, it's you again, huh?" He said in an angry tone. "I should've known that your Pichu was what got Blaziken all worked up into a frenzy like that."

"K-Kai?" Gavin stammered in shock.

"That's right," Kai sneered.

Kai then turned towards Briar and said, "Sorry about the damages that my Blaziken caused. I believe this should make up for them, though."

He handed the Grass-type gym leader what looked to be a wad of cash. Briar looked at the trainer in surprise.

"Th-thank you," Briar gulped. This kid scared just about everybody.

The black-haired teen soon after began to walk off, followed by Blaziken and the other three Pokémon. As they left, Blaziken gave Pichu one last growl that caused him to flinch in fright.

Once the trainer had gone back out of the hole and disappeared from sight, everyone turned to Gavin and looked at him with interest.

"Gavin, you know this guy?" Dawn asked in confusion.

Gavin nodded. "Kai Anderson. We first met up when I began my journey through the Hoenn Region. At the time, I had just run into Walker, who challenged me to yet another battle. Then, _he _showed up…"

* * *

><p>(Flashback)<p>

_"Pichu, we're finally in the Hoenn Region!" Gavin said as he stepped onto the dock in Littleroot Town. _

_ On his shoulder, his Electric-type partner nodded and squeaked, "Pi-chu-pi-chu!"_

_ Gavin took in a deep breath before letting it out with a sigh. Hoenn seemed to have a lot cleaner air than Johto or Kanto. _

_ It was a lot more peaceful, too. It was so peaceful, in fact, that nothing could possibly ruin it._

_ "HEY, GAVIN!" Gavin suddenly heard a familiar voice yell from close by._

_ "Oh, no," Gavin groaned. "Not him. Anybody but him. Please, don't let it be him…"_

_ "It's your biggest and most powerful rival, Walker!" The voice said again as a person and a Pok__é__mon jumped out in front of him, revealing themselves to be Walker and Aipom._

_ "Ai-pom!" Aipom waved while grinning cheekily._

_ "Chu," Pichu said as he face-palmed himself. Similarly, Gavin happened to do the same thing._

_ "Walker, what are you doing here?" Gavin asked. "I thought that you had decided to stay in Johto and help Professor Elm in his lab."_

_ "Well," Walker said while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "let's just say that things didn't work out."_

_ "You blew up the lab, didn't you?" Gavin said while glaring at Walker._

_ "Bingo," Walker nodded and gave him a thumbs-up. "So, I took a leaf from your book and came here to compete in the Hoenn League. Anyway, do you wanna battle?"_

_ "Walker, we just got here after a really long boat ride," Gavin yawned wearily. "Can't we just skip the battle this time?"_

_ "Nope," Walker stated stubbornly. "Let's do this!"_

_ Gavin sighed and was just about to pull out a Pok__é__ball when the two of them heard a new voice call out, "Who dares to battle on my turf?"_

_ Gavin, Walker, and their Pok__é__mon all turned around to see a kid with spiked-up black hair and hazel-green eyes standing behind them. He looked maybe a year older than them and was at least an inch taller than Walker, who was already taller than Gavin. Standing there by his side was an orange, chicken-like creature that looked pretty tough._

_ "Who are you?" Walker inquired._

_ "I'm Kai Anderson," He answered. "The best trainer in all of the Hoenn Region! And this is my partner, Combusken!"_

_ "Com-bus-ken!" Combusken cawed as it got into a fighting stance._

_ "So, now that you know my name, are you gonna answer me, newbies?" Kai asked with a smirk. _

_ "Look, we don't want any trouble," Gavin said calmly._

_ "It's too late for that, newbie," Kai sneered. "Any person not from Hoenn that steps on my turf and tries to battle is asking for trouble. Besides, probably wouldn't have been a very good battle anyways. You two look weak."_

_ "Hey, we're not weak!" Walker shouted angrily. "We both made it to the Top Sixteen in the Silver League Conference!"_

_ "Big deal," Kai shrugged. "The Silver League is nothing compared to the Hoenn League! We've got way stronger trainers and Pok__é__mon here than anywhere else! I could beat you guys in a heartbeat!"_

_ "Oh, really?" Gavin raised an eyebrow and grinned. "I bet that my Pichu could wipe the floor with your Combusken easily."_

_ "Pi-chu!" Pichu nodded while flexing its muscles._

_ "No way!" Kai yelled back, looking outraged at Gavin's accusation. "My Combusken is way more powerful than that wimpy rat!"_

_ "Ken!" Combusken said with an angry look on its face._

_ "Well, why don't we just find out?" Gavin said, smiling all the while._

(Shift to next flashback scene)

_ Soon enough, Kai led Gavin and Walker to a battlefield close by where the battle would take place. Gavin and Kai both got on opposite sides of the field with their Pok__é__mon while Walker and Aipom watched from the sidelines._

_ "Let's go, Pichu!" Gavin told his partner. Pichu nodded before hopping off of his trainer's shoulder and landing onto the field._

_ "Knock 'em dead, Combusken," Kai muttered in Combusken's ear._

_ Combusken gave him a thumbs-up and then walked onto the field. Soon, both Pok__é__mon began to glare at each other with intense dislike._

_ "Alright, Pichu!" Gavin said with a smile. "Let's get things going with Thundershock!"_

_ "Piiiiiiiiiichuuuuuu!" Pichu cried out as he released a bolt of yellow electricity from his cheeks at the Young Fowl Pok__é__mon._

_ "Combusken, intercept it with Fire Spin!" Kai commanded._

_ Combusken opened its mouth and a ball of fire appeared inside of it. It then shot out a vortex of red-orange fire from its mouth straight at Pichu's attack._

_ The two attacks collided and exploded upon impact, temporarily covering the field in a fog of black smoke. Once it cleared, Gavin was shocked to see that Combusken was now running towards Pichu._

_ "Combusken, hit it with Sky Uppercut!" Kai ordered._

_ Combusken's claws took on a light blue glow as it ran at Pichu and sent it flying into the air with a swift uppercut._

_ "Pichu!" Gavin said in shock as Pichu was sent flying into the air, followed closely by Combusken._

_ "Now, take it out with Focus Punch!" Kai yelled._

_ Combusken's fist took on a light blue glow as it prepared to hit Pichu with a super-powered punch that would likely knock Pichu straight towards the ground and cause the Electric-type to crash._

_ "Pichu! Hurry and use Iron Tail!" Gavin called out._

_ Pichu nodded and its tail took on a metallic glow as it began to somersault through the air towards its foe._

_ What happened next was completely unexpected. The two Pok__é__mon went straight towards each other, but Pichu somersaulted above Combusken's Focus Punch and continued on until its tail slashed across one of the Fire/Fighting-type's eyes. As it was hit, Combusken shrieked loudly in agony._

_ "Combusken!" Kai said in panic as the two Pok__é__mon landed and he saw Combusken covering its eye with its hands while still screaming. He took off running towards his Pok__é__mon and got down by its side._

_ As Gavin and Pichu stood there close by, their eyes were wide and fearful. What had they done?_

_ Kai then stood back up in a way where the Gavin, Walker, and their Pok__é__mon couldn't see his eyes._

_ "You hurt my Combusken," Kai muttered while trembling angrily. "If I ever see you and your Pichu again, you will pay dearly! YOU GOT THAT?"_

(End Flashback)

* * *

><p>"So what happened after that?" Brock asked.<p>

"We never saw them again," Gavin answered, his voice full of regret. "That is, until today."

The others stood there and continued to stare at their friend. An awkward silence ensued until finally, Ash couldn't take it anymore, and blurted out, "Hey, why don't we forget about this right now and go celebrate my victory!"

Everyone in the group nodded, thinking that it was a good idea, and soon left the gym to head back towards the Pokémon Center.

As they left, however, Jeremiah just stood there and continued to stare at the hole with a look of intrigue on his face.

* * *

><p>After the group plus Vivi arrived at the Pokémon Center and Ash gave the five Pokémon that he had used in his gym battle to Nurse Joy to be healed, they all went to the cafeteria in order to chow down.<p>

"So, Vivi," May began as they all sat down at a table together. "You never actually told us why you were in the Amaro Region to begin with."

"Well, part of it was to find you guys after a kid named Kyle J. Chang told me that he had met you guys in a recent tournament," Vivi said as she began to recount her adventures that led her to travel to the Amaro Region. "After that, I traveled with him and his friends until we reached Lavaridge Town and I took a plane to Amaro."

"Man, that guy just keeps being mentioned in the story," Leaf said as she took a sip of Pecha Berry juice. "It's almost like he's having adventures in some spin-off story or something."

"Jiggly!" Leaf's Jigglypuff who was sitting by her side nodded in agreement.

"What are you talking about?" Tracey asked with a confused look on his face.

"And when did you get Jigglypuff back?" Cilan inquired.

Leaf shrugged and went back to sipping her juice while the others sweat-dropped at the latest attempt by the writer to break the fourth wall even more.

"Pi-plup!" Piplup chirped in an effort to get the conversation back on topic.

"Anyway, why don't you show us what kind of Pokémon you brought with you?" Brock suggested.

"Sure thing," Vivi winked before practically leaping out of her seat and throwing three Pokéballs into the air. "Come on out, gang!"

In a burst of blue light, three Pokémon appeared in front of the red-headed Hoenn native.

One was a bipedal, blue mammalian creature that looked similar to a rabbit. Its body had a nearly ovoid shape with a white and white-speckled, bubble-like pattern on its underside. It also had elongated, rabbit-like ears with red insides, a wiry black tail with a blue "bubble" on the end of it, and circular eyes with blue irises.

The second was a yellow, camel-like creature with a volcano-like hump on its back, bangs on top of its head, and sleepy eyes. The hump was green at the very top and faded out into yellow with small green spots.

The third and final Pokémon standing in front of Vivi was a small, blue bulb-like creature with round feet, beady red eyes, and five green leaves sprouting from its head. For some reason, however, this one looked kind of nervous.

"Wow!" Max said in awe. "You got Marill to evolve!"

Vivi nodded proudly. "After you guys left, I started to get more serious about training so that one day, I could beat you after you beat me with Ash's Corphish back when we first met."

Vivi gave Max an angry glare after she finished saying this, causing Max to freak out.

Max gulped and stuttered out in panic, "It was an accident! Corphish wouldn't listen to me! I didn't mean to…"

Before Max could finish, he was stopped when he heard Vivi begin to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Max asked.

"You are!" Vivi exclaimed. "I'm not mad at you for that anymore! That was like four years ago! Did you really think that I'd be mad about something like that?"

"Well," Max scratched his head sheepishly. Soon, Vivi and the others all began to laugh, and eventually, Max laughed as well.

"As for the other two," Vivi continued once she finally stopped laughing, "Numel was a gift from my parents after I became a trainer and I caught Oddish recently when me, Kyle, and his other friends all visited a Pokémon aromatherapy center run by a woman named Eliza."

"I remember that place!" May said in remembrance. "That's where I caught my Skitty!"

"And that's where I fell in love!" Brock sighed with hearts in his eyes.

"Where haven't you fallen in love with some girl?" Iris inquired.

Brock thought about it for a moment. "Nowhere."

Everyone else fell over anime-style in embarrassment. Brock would never change.

"Oh, yeah!" Vivi suddenly perked up before going through her bag hastily until she pulled out a flier. "I picked this up before I ran into you guys at the gym! May, Dawn, I think that you two will be really interested in this!"

May and Dawn took the flier from Vivi and looked over it together.

"Hey! It says here that there's a Pokémon Contest scheduled just two days from now in Yudon Town!" Dawn's blue eyes widened brilliantly as she announced the news.

"From the looks of the Pokégear, Yudon Town's pretty close by," Brock said as he looked through the map on his device. "If we left early tomorrow, we could be there by tomorrow night."

"Sweet!" Ash said as he stuffed a rice ball down his throat. "Let's do it!"

"Sounds good to me," Gavin grinned. "What do you think, buddy?"

He turned to look at his partner who was sitting on the table beside him, but was surprised to see Pichu with an angry, pouting look on his face.

"Hey, what's up with Pichu?" Misty asked.

"I don't know," Gavin answered with a worried look on his face. He had never seen his partner look this down before.

"Pika-pika-pi-chu!" Pikachu suddenly spoke up in Pokéspeak. The Electric Mouse Pokémon then walked over to Pichu and began to strike up a conversation with his pre-evolution.

"Meowth, what are they saying?" Ash whispered to Meowth.

"Do I look like an interpreter to you?" Meowth shot back. "No way!"

Ash gave Meowth a disappointed look for a few moments until the Scratch Cat Pokémon sighed and finally gave in.

"Alright, here's the deal," Meowth said as he prepared to interpret the two Electric-type's conversation. "Pikachu is trying to figure out why Pichu's so down. Pichu thinks that he could've protected himself from that Blaziken's attack earlier, but instead froze up like a coward. Pikachu says that he should just forget about it, but Pichu says that he was a disgrace and that Gavin should just look for another Pokémon to partner up with."

Gavin stood up and looked down at Pichu. "Pichu, I'm not mad at you in the slightest. Everyone gets scared sometimes and you're no different. You think that I wasn't scared when you were about to get hurt by Blaziken? I froze up, too. A real trainer puts his Pokémon first and I failed you in that respect."

Pichu looked up at his trainer with a surprised look in his eyes as his trainer continued.

"Pichu, I'm sorry that I failed you," Gavin said sincerely. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"Pi-chu!" Pichu smiled happily as he jumped straight into his trainer's arms and began to rub his cheek up against his trainer's.

The others smiled happily as they watched the two of them forgive one another.

Suddenly though, they stopped when they heard a familiar voice say, "How touching. Kind of makes me wanna hurl."

Everyone turned to see Kai Anderson standing there with a sneer on his face that caused all of them to become angry, especially Gavin and Pichu. On his shoulder sat an Eevee that had a serious look on its face.

"What do you want, Kai?" Gavin spat out.

"Oh, I was just in the neighborhood and was wondering if there were any _real_ trainers in this town to challenge," Kai said with a smirk. "From the looks of it, I guess not. Unless, you want to battle me. Not that you'll win anyways with that pathetic rat of yours."

"Vee," Eevee nodded in agreement, giving Pichu an arrogant smile.

Sparks danced across Pichu's cheeks as he growled at Kai's Eevee angrily.

"Kai, I beat you the first and last time we met," Gavin said with a twinge of annoyance in his voice. "What makes you think that I can't beat you now?"

"Well, for one, my Pokémon are all fully evolved," Kai said all-knowingly. "Meanwhile, your Pichu hasn't even made an attempt to evolve."

"Evolution isn't everything," Iris blurted out defensively.

"Oh, but in this case, it is," Kai said with a smile that seemed to tick everybody off. "You see, in the case of the Pichu evolution family, Pichu is supposed to evolve into Pikachu when it and its trainer have a high level of friendship. Now, seeing as these two have been together for years, how come Pichu hasn't evolved? Maybe you two just don't have what it takes to become friends."

"Just because he hasn't evolved, doesn't mean that we don't have a bond," Gavin stated. "How about this? We'll have a battle between me and you."

"The rules?" Kai asked, looking slightly interested.

"We both use just three Pokémon in a triple battle," Gavin began. "The battle ends when all three of one side's Pokémon are knocked out. No time limit, no substitutions, and no cheating."

"That sounds okay, but how about we make things a bit more interesting?" Kai suggested.

"How?" Gavin inquired.

"Well, let's see," Kai muttered as he pondered for a moment. "If you win, I'll leave and you'll never have to see me again. But if you lose, however, your little girlfriend has to come travel with me."

"What?" Gavin shouted in outrage. "No way, Kai! I'd never put Dawn up like that as a prize just to settle an old grudge! Sorry, but I…"

"We accept your terms," A voice suddenly spoke up. Everyone looked and were shocked to see Dawn standing up and glaring at Kai.

"But, Dawn," Gavin protested, but Dawn silenced him.

"You don't need to worry," Dawn whispered reassuringly. "I know that you're going to win."

She then turned back to face Kai and said, "So, do we have a deal?"

"Ooh, a feisty one," Kai sneered with joy. "Nothing like a Sinnoh girl to spice things up. I think I'm gonna like traveling around with you by my side. It's a deal."

The brown-haired trainer and the Hoenn native shook on it. Gavin and Kai glared at each other with sparks practically flying between the two of them.

"Let's do this," Gavin said with passion burning in his brown eyes.

"Pi-chu," Pichu grunted with a fierce look on his face.

"Am I the only one here that thinks this is a bad idea?" Meowth blurted out.

* * *

><p>Soon, the group, Kai, and Vivi all found themselves on the Pokémon Center's outdoor battlefield as the battle was about to begin.<p>

Gavin and Kai stood opposite of one another while Brock stood on the side as referee. By each trainer's side stood Pichu and Eevee respectively, both giving one another angry glares.

The others were sitting in the stands close by. All of them were both worried and curious about how this battle was going to turn out. If Gavin didn't find a way to win in this battle, then things were going to be looking pretty grim for Dawn.

"This will be a triple battle between Kai and Gavin!" Brock announced. "Both trainers are only allowed three Pokémon each with no substitutions. The battle will be over when all three of one side's Pokémon have been knocked out. Now, begin!"

"Blaziken, Mightyena, and Steelix, prepare to fight!" Kai yelled as he tossed three Pokéballs into the air.

In a flash of light, the Blaze Pokémon, the Bite Pokémon, and the Iron Snake Pokémon all materialized onto the field in front of him.

"Gallade and Donphan, come on out!" Gavin shouted. He then threw two Pokéballs into the air, causing the Blade and Armor Pokémon to appear by his side.

"You guys ready for this?" Gavin asked Pichu and his other two Pokémon.

"Pi!" Pichu squeaked, giving him a thumbs-up. The other two just nodded and turned to face their opponents.

"First move wins," Kai chuckled. "Steelix, use DragonBreath!"

Steelix opened its mouth and fired a blue beam of air straight at Gavin's three Pokémon.

"Gallade, use Vacuum Wave to block it!" Gavin commanded.

Gallade quickly jumped up into the air and spun around to where he fired a white tornado from his body at Steelix's attack. The attacks collided and exploded upon contact.

"Blaziken, hit it before it comes down with Sky Uppercut!" Kai directed.

"What?" Gavin said in disbelief.

Before Gallade had the chance to come back down to the ground, Blaziken ran and jumped up at him and gave him an uppercut with its light blue glowing fist. The power of the attack caused Gallade to be sent flying up into the air before crashing into the ground.

"Gallade, are you okay?" Gavin asked.

Gallade stood up and nodded, but Gavin could tell that Blaziken's attack had dealt much more damage to him than he realized.

"Mightyena, hit 'em with Take Down!" Kai ordered.

Mightyena instantly took off towards them while snarling angrily with its teeth bared. As it ran, its body was glowing in a bronze energy and it was surrounded by a golden forcefield.

"Donphan, use Rollout!" Gavin instructed.

Upon command, Donphan curled his body up into a ball and rolled at an incredible speed towards the Dark-type Pokémon.

The two of them ran into each other in the middle of the field and pushed against one another until the pressure that had been building forced the two of them apart.

"Blaziken, use Shadow Claw on Donphan!" Kai told his Pokémon.

Just as Donphan had shaken off the slight damage that Mightyena had caused him in the collision, Blaziken appeared next to him and slashed him in the back with a shadowy black hand that had a purple outline. Donphan grunted in pain as he was hit by the attack.

"Donphan, are you alright?" Gavin inquired with worry.

Donphan nodded vigorously, but he looked a little more worn out than he had been previously.

"Pichu, let's hit Blaziken with a Volt Tackle!" Gavin called out.

"Pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi," Pichu chanted as he ran towards the Fire-and-Fighting-typed Pokémon with his body surrounded by golden electricity.

Kai smirked. "Steelix, send it flying with Iron Tail!"

Pichu was shocked as he was suddenly hit up into the air by Steelix's tail.

"Now, Mightyena, follow it up with a Poison Fang!" Kai continued.

Mightyena leapt into the air at the airborne Pichu and bit him before he could have a chance to dodge with fangs that were glowing purple. As Mightyena chomped down on it, Pichu screamed and his body became surrounded by purple static.

Soon enough, Mightyena flung the Electric-type at the ground, where he crash-landed into the earth.

"Pichu!" Gavin yelled in shock.

Pichu grimaced as he struggled to get up. Once he had finally stood up, however, his body took on a purple glow and he cried as purple static shocked him. He had been poisoned.

* * *

><p>"Oh, no," May said as she and the others watched Pichu yell out in the pain that the poison condition was causing him.<p>

"That sneaky Seviper!" Ash growled furiously. "He's using Blaziken to score extra hits on Donphan and Gallade, but when Pichu tries to hit it, he has Steelix and Mightyena double-team him!"

"Pika!" Pikachu restated with anger.

"I know how you feel, but it's still legal," Gary bitterly told him. "One of the ways a triple battle becomes even more challenging is when you have to use your three Pokémon as a team in order to defeat your opponent's Pokémon."

"So what?" Leaf complained. "That still doesn't mean that they should be able to injure Gavin's Pokémon with cheap moves like that! It's not right!"

"Leaf, will ya calm down already?" Gary said in a demanding tone.

"Guys, don't worry," Dawn expressed in a surprisingly calm tone. "There's still a pretty good chance that Gavin can win this. We just have to have faith."

"Plup," Piplup nodded in agreement.

"If you say so," Leaf said as she continued to suck down more and more Pecha Berry juice.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, as the group watched the battle with fear and worry, Jeremiah stood nearby behind a tree, peeking his head out to see what was going on.<p>

"So, our friend is having a rough time of it, eh?" Jeremiah noted with a sly smile on his face. "Maybe it's time that we gave our friend a little help, huh, Mimi?"

"Mur-krow!" Mimi cawed before she took off into the air above the battlefield.

* * *

><p>"Hey, guys, look up there!" Iris suddenly pointed out.<p>

Everyone looked to where she was indicating to see a lone Murkrow flying through the air. As it flew, it seemed to twirl around in a quick spinning motion and also did a few loop-de-loops in the air.

"Wait, is that Jeremiah's Murkrow?" Cilan inquired.

"Looks like," Tracey sighed with a smile.

"Figures that weirdo would be here," Max groaned as he face-palmed himself.

"Hey!" The weirdo in question shouted from behind the tree. "Hurtful!"

"Will you just get out of here?" Misty snarled.

"No!" Jeremiah yelled back. "I have just as much right to be here as you do!"

"Pikachu, a little help, please?" Ash pleaded to his buddy.

Pikachu nodded before jumping up into the air.

"Pika-pika-pika-pika-pika-pikaaaa-chupi!" Pikachu said as he formed an Electro Ball on his tail and did a front flip that fired the yellow orb of electricity at Jeremiah.

An explosion occurred soon afterwards and Jeremiah could be seen being shot up like a rocket off into the distance.

"I'm blasting off again!" Jeremiah shouted as he disappeared into the wild blue yonder.

"Mur-krow!" Mimi squawked as she hurried and flew after her trainer.

"Man, Jessie and James would be ticked right now if they knew that guy has been stealing their lines," Meowth chuckled.

* * *

><p>Somewhere far away, the two Team Rocket members in question sneezed.<p>

"Uh, I think somebody's talking about us," James said as he wiped his nose.

"Well, they'd better not be stealing our lines, too, or they're gonna pay," Jessie growled.

"Wob-buffet," Wobbuffet said, popping up out of its Pokéball once again. ("They probably did.")

* * *

><p>Back on the battlefield, Gavin was seriously worried at the moment. Not only had Pichu been poisoned and the others severally hurt, he had to witness another one of Jeremiah's goofy antics.<p>

'_Ugh, what was that weirdo trying to pull?_' Gavin thought as he glared at his gloating opponent. '_Did he really think that his loop-de-looping Murkrow was going to help at all? I mean, seriously! How was that possibly supposed to help me?_'

Then, it hit him like one of Pikachu's Thunderbolt attacks. A grin soon crept its way up onto his face.

"As much as I hate to say it, that actually helped, Jeremiah," Gavin muttered. "Hope I never have to say that again."

"What are you smiling for?" Kai demanded. "You're about to lose!"

"No, I'm just getting started," Gavin grinned. "Donphan, use Horn Attack on the ground!"

Donphan's tusks instantly began to glow white before it dug its tusks into the ground and caused several rocks to fly out of the ground. One small rock in particular flew up and landed in Gallade's hand.

"Alright, Gallade, use Trick!" Gavin instructed.

Gallade's body became outlined in blue and the rock it was holding disappeared in a white glow. Soon enough, it was replaced by a glass containing a pink liquid with a straw sticking out of the top.

"Hey!" Leaf grumbled in anger. Just seconds ago, her Pecha Berry Juice had disappeared and had been replaced by a rock. "Gavin, give me back my juice!"

"Puff!" Jigglypuff's body inflated in her fury.

"Sorry, Leaf!" Gavin called back. "I'll pay you back later! Gallade, hurry and give Pichu the juice!"

"No! Stop him!" Kai roared out in shock and anger.

Blaziken, Mightyena, and Steelix all began to charge towards Gavin's Pokémon to stop Gallade from giving Pichu the juice, but they were too late. Gallade handed Pichu the glass, and the Electric-type immediately chugged it down. Soon, his body stopped sparking purple static and the purple tinge on his nose went away.

"Pi-chu!" Pichu said, standing up triumphantly.

"Nice work, guys!" Gavin smiled happily. "Now, let's get back in this battle and win!"

"Not a chance," Kai grunted. "Steelix, use Sandstorm and Mightyena, use Dark Pulse!

Steelix floated up into the air and started rapidly spinning around in circles as it fired a sandstorm from its body at its opponents. Mightyena followed by opening its mouth and releasing a beam of black and purple circles in the same direction.

"Gallade, break through that Dark Pulse with Signal Beam!" Gavin ordered. "Donphan, run straight into that Sandstorm and use Fire Fang!"

The red horns on Gallade's body glowed purple before it fired a rainbow-colored beam of energy at Mightyena's attack. It was so strong that it broke through the Dark-type attack and managed to hit Mightyena in the chest and send it flying.

At the same time, seeing as how Sandstorm didn't affect Ground-types, Donphan was able to charge right on through it without the slightest bit of harm. Then, with tusks cloaked in flames, Donphan struck Steelix and knocked it down to the ground.

After Steelix fell and hit the ground, Mightyena landed right on top of it in a heap. Everyone was amazed when they noticed that both Pokémon had been knocked out cold.

Kai stared at the two downed Pokémon in disbelief. There was just no way. How had he beaten two of his toughest Pokémon?

Kai shook off and then yelled out, "Well, you may have beaten those two, but Blaziken's still gonna take all three of your Pokémon out!"

"Not likely," Gavin smirked. "Pichu, you ready to deal the final blow?"

"Pi!" Pichu grinned.

"Well, you might need this!" Gavin said as he threw an object to his partner.

Pichu caught it and was happy to see that it was his beloved Focus Band. The Electric-type quickly tied it around his head and then ran off towards Donphan.

"Donphan, fling Pichu up into the air!" Gavin shouted.

Donphan laid his trunk onto the ground and allowed Pichu to climb onto the end of it before he sent Pichu flying high up into the air.

"Gallade, follow it up by throwing Pichu straight at Blaziken!" Gavin continued.

As Pichu reached the highest point in the sky that he could go, Gallade suddenly appeared behind him in a flash of multicolored light. The Blade Pokémon then grabbed Pichu and lifted him over his head before throwing him as hard as he could straight at Blaziken.

"Do you really think that rat of yours is gonna hurt Blaziken at all?" Kai laughed.

"Sure do," Gavin answered. "Double Team!"

Pichu put his hands together to make a sort of "T" symbol before his body glowed white and a bunch of copies of himself appeared all around him.

Kai's eyes widened in shock and he yelled out, "Blaziken, use Blast Burn!"

Blaziken's body turned red and its working eye took on a red glow. Its wrists lit up in flames and fire began to spiral around its body. Then, it opened its mouth and released an eruption of red-orange fire that exploded as soon as it hit all of the Pichu.

"Yes, I knocked out your precious rat!" Kai said with a sneer.

"Think again," Gavin told him.

Kai looked up and was shocked to see Pichu burst out of the smoke, completely unharmed.

"Now, Pichu, time to take it out!" Gavin shouted. "Volt Tail!"

Pichu immediately began somersaulting through the air with his tail glowing metallically. Then, golden electricity appeared and surrounded his body as he plummeted towards his foe.

As Blaziken was hit, an explosion occurred and black smoke covered the field. Once the smoke finally cleared, everyone was shocked to see that Blaziken was still standing. It didn't last, however, as Blaziken fell backwards to the ground and landed with a _THUD_!

"All three of Kai's Pokémon are unable to battle!" Brock proclaimed. "Therefore, Gavin and his team are the winners!"

"Yes! We did it!" Gavin exclaimed happily.

"Pi-chu!" Pichu said as he tackled his trainer to the ground happily. Donphan and Gallade soon followed before Dawn knocked all three of them away.

"I knew that you could do it!" Dawn said as she laid on top of him.

"Yeah, well, you know," Gavin chuckled with his cheeks blushing red.

The group and Vivi all walked over and began congratulating him excitedly, but Gavin noticed that Kai had returned his Pokémon and was now walking away.

"Where you going, Kai?" Gavin yelled out, catching Kai off-guard. "You know, despite what we said earlier in our bet, I think that we should put aside our differences and just be friends! That was an awesome battle, and I'd love to do it again sometime!"

Kai stopped and pondered this for a moment. He then smiled and said, "Maybe we should. I'll see you guys later. Have fun on your journey!"

With that, Kai turned back around and walked away, leaving Gavin there with an ever-widening grin on his face. Even though things had been tough lately, it was nice to get some times where he could feel like a normal trainer.

Little did he know that those times weren't going to last much longer.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in a dark office many miles away, Team Umbra leader Damien Black stood in front of a plasma screen where a fuzzy image filled up the screen.<p>

"Sorry about the signal, boss," A mechanized voice said through the speakers.

"Forget it. So, have you located the Gem of Knowledge?" Damien said as he spoke to the screen in front of him.

"Yes, sir," The man on the other end answered. "We should be able to find it within the week."

"Good," Damien's lips curled into a gloating sneer. "Everything is going according to plan. Keep up the good work, _Dusk_."

* * *

><p>As well, another crime lord was having a good day as he sat in his chair at his desk.<p>

"So, have we gotten all of the information that we can on the Ketchum kid?" He asked the person standing before him while stroking the fur of the large feline Pokémon sitting in his lap.

"Yes, Giovanni, sir," The figure replied in a feminine voice. "He is indeed Delia's son."

"Excellent," Giovanni smirked with glee. "I knew that he looked familiar. So, are you prepared to capture him?"

"Yes, sir," The woman nodded before stepping into the light. As the light shone upon her, Giovanni was able to see what she looked like.

She was about 5'4" and looked to be about 18 years old. She had curly-and-wavy strawberry-blonde hair that was shoulder-length and also had hazel-colored eyes that seemed to glimmer in the light. She wore a black sleeveless top that stopped just above her bellybutton, a pair of black pants, elbow-length white gloves, and a pair of black high heels that made her look about three inches taller.

"Good. I knew you would be, my dear _Crystalline_," Giovanni smiled. "Be sure to make this little visit of yours as life-shattering as possible."

"With pleasure," Team Rocket's top agent said with a sneer.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 48: "An Opponent Fiercer Than A Legendary! Ash V.S. Orange!"<span>_ – As our heroes and their friend Vivi Winstrate head towards Yudon Town, the place slated for May and Dawn's next contest, they stop in Vegos Village and run into a familiar face: Orange from the Kafue Town Battle Tournament! It seems that Orange is having some trouble training his newest Pokémon because it just won't listen to him! After Ash remembers that he too has a disobedient Pokémon, they decide to have the two battle it out in an effort to get them to listen to their commands! Who will win and will Ash and Orange be able to tame the wild spirits of their Pokémon? Find out soon!

**Well, how was it? I hoped that you guys enjoyed it! Read and Review!**

**Okay, here's my announcement. Lately, I've been feeling more and more stressed out due to work and school. Plus, with like 5 fanfics to try to work on and update, Writer's Block has had a much easier time hitting me! Writing had become less fun and more work. It felt like a chore.  
><strong>

**So, I've decided that there's only one way that I can write and for it not to be a chore! As of right now, I'm taking a short break from Fusion Warriors, Awake, KHS, and any other fanfics and I'm going to just work on League of Ultimates for a while. Look, I realize that a lot of you are anticipating more of Seth's adventures in Fusion Warriors and want to see how my movie fic will happen, but I really want to get further in my main fic that started it all! I'll try to work on some of my other fics occasionally, but for a little while, you'll be seeing a lot more of League of Ultimates! Sorry, but that's the way it has to be for the moment!  
><strong>

**I also have a few shoutouts to contend to. The first one is to my buddy, Itssupereffective, who gave me permission to use his OC Kai Anderson in this chapter! I did have to take a little bit of creative license when writing him, but both of us have been highly anticipating a battle between our two OCs! As well, read his story "The Betrayed Champion"! We might be able to get him to update the next chapter sooner if we pelt him with reviews!  
><strong>

**Also, another shoutout to KJC71790, who had answered my request to have Vivi Winstrate show up in his spin-off of PLOU in order to give me an excuse to have her appear! Thanks a bunch, dude! Read his stories as well!  
><strong>

**A third shoutout to RoseMasterD87, who has given me permission to have one of her OCs appear in this story! She has given me a great idea for a major part of the plot involving Team Rocket and another mystery in Ash's life. More on that as we go along! Read her stories also!  
><strong>

**One more thing before I go. A.M.P 1008 has asked me to help advertise his upcoming story, "Mesoa League: The Ultimate Challenge"! It's a story that takes place in the mysterious Mesoa League and is supposed to have a bunch of new Pokemon, including the starter Pokemon, which I myself created! So be on the lookout for that!  
><strong>

**Anyways, I get done with summer classes next week, so I should be getting more time to write if Writer's Block doesn't get in the way! Well, until next time! See ya!  
><strong>


	48. Chapter 48

**Hey, guys! Sorry it took so long, but consider this an earl****y one-year anniversary special! Happy Birthday, PLOU! Hope you like it!**_  
><em>

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I didn't own it a year ago and I still don't own it now. And I doubt that's gonna change anytime soon.  
><strong>

_Chapter 48: "An Opponent Fiercer Than A Legendary! Ash V.S. Orange!"_

"Gengar, use Shadow Ball!" Ash yelled.

"Gen-gen-gar!" Gengar chuckled as his hands began to spark up with blue electricity. He then put his hands together and formed a black-and-purple orb of shadowy energy.

Once the orb was fully formed, Gengar literally bowled it straight towards his target: a wild Sawk.

"Sawk!" The Karate Pokémon screamed in panic as it was sent flying into the air like a bowling pin.

"Now, hurry and hit it with Shadow Punch, Gengar!" Ash called out.

Gengar immediately took off and flew directly at the falling Sawk. As he rose up higher and higher into the air, purple sparks traveled up his arm and appeared around his fist. Then, just before he was about to reach Sawk, he punched the air and fired a black fist with a purple outline at the Fighting-type.

As Sawk was hit by Gengar's attack, he let out a grunt and was sent falling backwards to the ground.

"Okay! Pokéball, go!" Ash said as he hurled a red-and-white sphere towards the falling Sawk.

Once the Pokéball hit the blue-colored fighter, it opened up and sent out a red light that immediately engulfed Sawk and sucked it in until it had disappeared inside of the ball completely. The ball then fell to the ground and began to wiggle as it struggled to contain the Pokémon.

It wiggled once. Then twice. Ash watched on in anticipation. Just one more wiggle and Sawk was his.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. The ball suddenly opened, and in a flash of blue light, the wild Sawk reappeared and ran far away before Ash could try to throw another Pokéball at it.

"Dang it!" Ash said in frustration. This was like the fifth time today that he had come close to catching a new Pokémon, only for it to escape.

"There's always next time, Ash," Ash heard May say behind him. He turned around to see his brunette girlfriend and his other friends standing behind him.

"I know, but I really want to get a new Pokémon," Ash replied with a sigh. "Well, better go grab my Pokéball."

Ash had only taken a few steps, however, before he felt someone grab his arm and stop him.

"Ash, what are you doing?" Brock asked.

"Picking up my Pokéball," Ash answered while raising an eyebrow.

Brock shook his head. "No, you're not. Don't you know that when you throw your Pokéball at a Pokémon, you can't use it again?"

"What are you talking about?" Ash inquired in confusion. "It's a perfectly good Pokéball! I paid 200 Pokédollars for it!"

"Let it go, Ash," Brock said as he turned the raven-haired trainer away from the device lying on the ground.

"Stupid anime physics," Ash grumbled as the two of them walked back towards the others.

"So, how far away are we from Yudon Town?" Dawn asked.

Brock quickly pulled out his Pokégear to check. "Well, it looks like it's still a long way away. We'd better get moving if we want to make it there by tonight."

Suddenly, everyone heard a loud growling sound that echoed throughout the area.

"What was that?" Leaf said in a shocked tone.

"I don't know," Gary responded as he began to look around. "A wild Pokémon, perhaps?"

"Maybe it was a Pokémon that's gonna come and try to eat us!" Vivi suggested humorously.

"Highly unlikely," Max said as-a-matter-of-factly. "I'm pretty sure that there are no known species of Pokémon that would eat humans."

"Well, this is the Amaro Region," Gavin pointed out. "You never know what could be around here."

Then, the growling sound was heard again, followed by a moan at their feet. They all looked down to see Meowth clutching his stomach and groaning.

"I guess it was just Meowth's stomach growling," Cilan chuckled.

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Meowth snapped. "All I got for breakfast today was a candy bar that I found in Misty's bag!"

"Hey!" Misty yelled angrily. "That was _my_ candy bar! I had been saving it for a special occasion!"

"Gah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Meowth shouted as Misty began to chase him down the pathway in a fit of rage. Soon enough, the two of them ran so far away that they were now nowhere in sight.

"What a kid," Iris said while sweat-dropping.

"Uh, should we go try to stop her from killing him?" Tracey asked nervously.

Everyone thought about it for a moment. Sure, Meowth was Ash's Pokémon and was a valuable asset to the team in the case of negotiation with Pokémon, but then again, he had stolen Misty's candy bar. Everyone knew from experience that you do not steal from Misty.

Ash sighed. "We'd better go after them."

And with that, the group began to walk in the same direction that the Scratch Cat Pokémon and the red-haired demon were running in.

* * *

><p>Eventually, they managed to catch up to the two of them and save Meowth from Misty's wrath. Soon after, the group continued on down the path until they reached a small town.<p>

"So, where are we exactly?" Leaf asked as they all walked down the cobblestone pathway that went through the entire town.

"It looks like we're in Vegos Village," Brock said after a quick check on his Pokégear. "From the looks of it, we're still a few hours away from Yudon Town."

"Well, at least we'll be able to get some food here," May pointed out while she smiled at the thought of filling her stomach.

"Pika…," Pikachu murmured. The Electric Mouse had a vacant expression on his face as he thought about devouring an entire bottle of ketchup.

At this point, the entire group began to think about food, but their thoughts were broken when they suddenly heard a loud growling noise.

"Seriously, Meowth?" Iris said as she glared down at the Normal-type.

"Hey, it wasn't me this time!" Meowth retorted.

"Well, if it wasn't you, then what was it?" Ash asked.

As soon as Ash finished saying this, a green orb of energy came out of nowhere and hit the ground. Upon impact with the cobblestone pathway, the orb exploded and knocked all of the teens to the ground.

"Ow!" Gary grunted as he got back up on his feet. "What was that?"

"I think it was an Energy Ball," Dawn thought out loud. "But where did it come from?"

Dawn's question was soon answered when a large, disk-like creature with a steel body covered in spikes and green tendrils appeared and began charging towards them.

"It's a Ferrothorn!" Max exclaimed.

"Thorn!" Ferrothorn grunted as it used its tendrils to travel down the cobblestone pathway like an Octillery. As it drew closer to the teens, it began to charge up another Energy Ball.

"Use Thunder!" A voice suddenly called out.

In an instant, a powerful bolt of yellow electricity came and struck Ferrothorn from behind, causing the Thorn Pod Pokémon to groan in pain as it was electrocuted.

Ash's eyes widened in shock. He then looked down at Pikachu and said, "I'm guessing that wasn't you, right?"

Pikachu crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

Ferrothorn soon shook off the pain and turned around to see what had attacked it.

Standing there was a figure that was slightly taller than Gary and was about sixteen years of age. He had long, messy brown hair that ran down over his ears, emerald green eyes, and had a slight tan. He wore a black beanie with an orange Pokéball symbol on the front of it, a black T-shirt with a single orange stripe running across it, black denim pants, black shoes with orange shoelaces, orange straps on his wrists, and an orange necktie around his neck.

Floating beside him was a Gengar that looked a lot like Ash's, except that its fur was dark blue instead of purple and its eyes were a pinkish color.

"Hey, it's Orange!" Leaf's frown turned into a smile once she recognized their friend from the Kafue Town Battle Tournament.

"Gengar, hurry and use Hypnosis!" Orange commanded.

Gengar's eyes took on a red glow as it held its hands out in front of it and released a barrage of black circles that expanded as they moved towards Ferrothorn.

As the black circles hit it, the Grass/Steel-type Pokémon's eyes began to droop and it became sleepier and sleepier. Eventually, it started to lurch around in a daze until it fell to the ground. After it hit the ground, all of them could hear Ferrothorn snoring softly as it snoozed away.

Orange took a few steps towards the sleeping Pokémon and then finally noticed Ash and the others.

"Oh, hey!" He said as a smile made its way onto his face. "It's been a while! Nice to see you all again!"

"Orange, is this your Ferrothorn?" Brock asked.

"Yeah," Orange nodded while rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry about that. Ferrothorn's kind of a newer Pokémon of mine and isn't really listening to me all that much at the moment."

"Really?" May said in a confused tone. "How come?"

Orange shrugged. "I'm not really sure. But I'd better go ahead and return Ferrothorn to his Pokéball before he wakes up."

Orange proceeded to take his orange backpack off of his back and placed it on the ground. He then opened it and began to look through it.

"No, no, no, no…," Orange muttered as he threw several different objects out of his backpack while looking for Ferrothorn's Pokéball. These objects included a bike, a Ping-Pong table, a dictionary, a refrigerator, and strangely, Walker.

"Walker, what are you doing here?" Gavin asked with an incredulous look on his face.

"I…don't…know," Walker answered, looking just as confused.

"You're not supposed to be back in the story until…," Gavin began before Walker stopped him.

"Shhh!" Walker shushed his rival. "_He _can hear you!"

"Who?" Misty inquired.

"You know," Walker said while pointing his eyes to the sky discreetly. "_Him_."

"We're not following you," Max stated.

"Never mind!" Walker groaned. "Just put me back in there! Quick!"

"Okay," The group said in deep confusion as Orange put Walker back into his backpack.

"It's gotta be around here somewhere!" Orange murmured as he stuck his head into the backpack and continued searching for the device. "Oh!"

"Did you find it?" Ash asked.

"No! I'm stuck! Help!" Orange yelled. "Hurry, it's sucking me in!"

Immediately, everyone ran towards Orange and grabbed his legs. With all of their might, they tried to pull him out as the backpack continued to snack on him.

"You know," Gary said as he pulled along with the others, "I'm surprised that this has never happened to anyone before."

"I know, right?" Leaf agreed while pulling as well. "I mean, if we can fit a whole table in our backpacks, who knows how much room is in there?"

Eventually, they managed to pull Orange out of the pack, but when they did, they noticed that their friend was in a daze.

"Uh, Orange? You okay?" Dawn asked with a concerned look on her face.

"I think so," Orange said as his head swayed back and forth. "I see stars."

"Gen-gen-gar!" Gengar suddenly piped up. Everyone looked at him to see that he was holding a Pokéball in his hand.

"Oh, cool! Thanks, Gengar," Orange said as he took the device from his Pokémon. The teen then held it out, firing a red light out at Ferrothorn that immediately dematerialized it and sucked it inside of the ball.

Orange looked down at the sphere and sighed. "Why won't you listen to me, Ferrothorn?"

Then, amazingly, Ash had an idea.

"Hey, I think I've got the perfect Pokémon to help Ferrothorn learn some manners," Ash said with a grin.

"Really? That's awesome!" Orange said enthusiastically. Then, a loud growling sound could be heard. "Uh, but can we get some lunch first? I'm starving!"

As soon as he finished saying this, everybody fell over anime-style except for Orange's Gengar, who just chuckled with a devilish grin on his face.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Ash and the others found a couple of picnic tables where Brock and Cilan quickly made a bunch of delicious-looking sandwiches. It looked so good, in fact, that they all decided to let their Pokémon come out to eat as well.<p>

"Lunchtime, guys!" Ash said as he threw all of his Pokéballs into the air. Soon enough, Charizard, Pidgeot, Gengar, Lucario, and Pupitar all appeared.

"Gen-gar!" Both Ash and Orange's Gengar said happily as they greeted one another with a grin.

"Time to eat!" May smiled as her Pokéballs opened up, releasing Blaziken, Venusaur, Ampharos, Glaceon, Beautifly, and Skitty.

In a burst of light, everyone else let out their Pokémon. Brock sent out Sudowoodo, Chansey, Croagunk, Marshtomp, and Forretress.

Dawn called out her Piplup, Solosis, Ambipom, Mamoswine, Togekiss, and Quilava.

Besides Pichu, Gavin's Magmar, Donphan, Crobat, Gallade, and Leafeon all came out for some food.

Leaf let her Venusaur, Jigglypuff, Dusknoir, Magneton, Ninetales, and Dragonite come out to eat.

Gary's Blastoise, Electivire, Arcanine, Umbreon, Nidoking, and Skarmory all soon made an appearance.

Tracey's Pokémon were revealed to be Marill, Venonat, Scyther, Dodrio, and Smeargle.

Luckily, they were able to find a fountain, so Misty was able to let out her Seadra, Azurill, Golduck, Staryu, Corsola, and Politoed.

Max and Vivi then called out Grovyle, Mightyena, Kirlia, Shuppet, Vigoroth, Masquerain, Azumarill, Oddish, and Numel respectively. As well, Iris and Cilan sent out Haxorus, Excadrill, Emolga, Simisage, Crustle, and Stunfisk.

"So, Orange," Vivi began to ask. "What Pokémon do you have with you besides Gengar and Ferrothorn?"

"See for yourself," Orange said with a grin. He then threw four Pokéballs into the air and four Pokémon appeared.

Ash and the others recognized Nippy the Minun and Feraligatr, but two of them were entirely new to them. One was a large green blob that was similar to Solosis, but had arms and pointy ears. The other looked like a mix between a scorpion and a vampire bat with bluish-purple skin, black wings, and fierce yellow eyes.

"Wow! You've got a Reuniclus and a Gliscor?" Max exclaimed in shock.

Orange nodded. "I caught them not too long ago, before I caught Ferrothorn. However, even though they're all new, Ferrothorn's the only one that won't listen to me!"

"Well, we'll have to fix that, now won't we?" Ash said with a determined look in his eye.

"Hey, Ash, what Pokémon were you talking about earlier anyway?" May asked. "Was It Charizard?"

"Nope," Ash responded while taking a bite of a sandwich. "It's somebody else that has a real attitude problem. I figure that it might be best to let both of them battle it out so that they both will learn that they need to start listening to us."

"That's actually pretty smart," Iris said in shock.

"Who are you and what've you done with Ash?" Misty demanded.

"Hey, I've learned a thing or two during my journeys, haven't I?" Ash yawned lazily. "Meanwhile, you two still are as crabby and annoying as ever."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING CRABBY?" Misty growled while her head grew larger anime-style.

"I AM NOT ANNOYING!" Iris yelled, her head growing to the same size as Misty's.

Suddenly, they both stopped yelling and looked scared for some reason.

"Hey, why won't my head shrink back to normal?" Misty shouted.

"Ash, what did you do?" Iris asked with tears streaming out of her eyes.

"I didn't do anything, I swear!" Ash said defensively. "It's like someone's messing with the anime physics today!"

"But this isn't even the anime," Brock retorted. "How does any of this make any sense?"

"Well, it could be that a there has been a rupture in the space-time continuum," Orange suggested. "Or the writer is just messing with us to get back at us for breaking the fourth wall so often."

Dawn sighed. "Why do I get the feeling that it's the second one?"

"Plup," Piplup chirped while face-palming himself.

* * *

><p>After they had all finished eating and both of the two girls' heads had finally shrunk back to their normal sizes, everyone followed Ash to the Pokémon Center to find out what this mystery Pokémon was going to be. All the way there, May was constantly pestering Ash to try and get the answer out of him.<p>

"Is it Sceptile?" The brunette asked.

"No, it's not Sceptile," Ash replied with a smirk.

"How about Primeape?"

"Nope."

"Infernape?"

"Not even close."

"Come on! Tell me, please?" May whimpered with the largest puppy dog eyes that anyone had ever seen.

'_Don't look at 'em, don't look at 'em, don't look at 'em_,' Ash incessantly repeated in his thoughts as he averted his eyes from the puppy dog eyes. "No, May, I'm not telling any of you. You'll just have to wait and see."

May grumbled angrily. He wasn't supposed to be able to resist her puppy dog eyes! Now, she had no choice but to resort to stronger measures.

"Oh, won't you tell me, Ashy?" May said seductively while moving closer to her boyfriend and leaning against his chest.

"Uh…," Ash gulped while a definite red tinge began to appear on his face.

She looked up at him and could tell that his will was slowly beginning to break. Now, to turn up the heat.

"If you tell me, I might just be able to find some way to repay you," She smiled alluringly.

Just as Ash's will was about to be shattered into a million pieces, Orange's Gengar popped up in front of May's face and stuck his tongue out at her.

"Ahhhhhh!" May screamed as she jumped away into Gavin's arms from the Ghost/Poison-type in fright.

"Um, can I help you?" Gavin said as he looked down at the embarrassed Hoenn native in his arms.

"Sorry," May blushed. The two of them continued to stand like that until they noticed an angry Dawn.

"May…just what are you doing with _my_ boyfriend?" Dawn growled angrily.

"It was an accident!" May managed to squeak while intense heat seemed to come off of Dawn's body.

Meanwhile, Pichu quickly climbed into Gavin's backpack and yelled, "Pi-chu-chu-pi-chu!" (She's gonna kill us!")

At the same time, Orange looked on at the scene and thought, '_Is this the way it always is with them? I'm surprised that they haven't had an all-out Civil War by now!_'

* * *

><p>After the others finally managed to calm Dawn down and stop her from killing May, they eventually found their way to the Pokémon Center where Ash quickly called up Professor Oak and had him send him a Pokémon in exchange for Pupitar.<p>

Once that was done with, they all went outside to the Pokémon Center's battlefield to see exactly what Pokémon Ash had called for.

"Alright, I choose you!" Ash said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

In a flash of light, a large, terracotta-colored, crocodile-like creature wearing sunglasses appeared onto the field.

"Krook-o-dile!" The Intimidation Pokémon roared.

"Krookodile?" The others said in a confused tone.

Ash nodded. "Don't you remember my battle with Leaf in the Kafue Town Battle Tournament? When Leaf's Blaziken broke Krookodile's sunglasses, it went into an unstoppable rage where it wouldn't listen to me. I figure that if Ferrothorn manages to either break or knock off Krookodile's sunglasses, then it could happen again."

"Well, that sounds good to me," Orange grinned. "Let's do this!"

The teen then took out a Pokéball and tossed it into the air.

Instantaneously, the Thorn Pod Pokémon appeared onto the battlefield opposite of Krookodile. The two Pokémon immediately began to glare at each other menacingly.

Soon, after the others had all sat down on the ground beside the battlefield while Brock was acting as referee, the battle was all set to begin.

Things didn't turn out that way, however, as two giant robotic hands came out of nowhere and grabbed Pikachu and Orange's Gengar before pulling them into the air.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu screamed in fright.

"Gen-gar!" Gengar worriedly called out.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled in shock.

"Gengar!" Orange shouted. He was just as surprised as the others were.

Then, as the two struggling Pokémon went higher and higher into the air, the teens could see the source of the mechanical hands that had usurped their Pokémon: a giant, black hot-air balloon with a red letter "R" on the side of it.

"It's Team Rocket!" Vivi exclaimed.

"Did someone call our name?" A woman with long, red hair said from the balloon basket.

"Surely we're not to blame!" A man with short, blue hair beside her stated.

"Putting the world in devastation!"

"Uniting all within the new sensation!"

"Thrusting the black dust of shadows throughout the age!"

"Blinding all with the fire of our rage!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Causing evil and chaos we show!"

"Stealing Pokémon is the way we go!"

"Now say goodbye for our rhyme is done!"

"Wobbuffet!" A blue blob-like creature said proudly after appearing in between the two figures.

"Ugh," Meowth groaned from down below. "I wish that I had known how annoying and repetitive those mottos were back when I was a part of that team."

"Hey, our mottos are not annoying!" Jessie snarled in rage.

"You take that back, you tabby traitor!" James added in a commanding tone.

"Wobbuffet!" The Patient Pokémon echoed.

"Give me back Pikachu, Team Rocket!" Ash yelled.

"No chance, twerp," Jessie sneered. "I'm sure the boss will be really glad to see this Pikachu and a shiny Gengar."

"Wait, who are these guys again?" Orange asked the others.

"They're Team Rocket, an organization of criminals who try to steal other peoples' Pokémon for their own gain," Gary explained.

"So if we don't stop them, they're going to take Gengar away, right?" Orange inquired.

"Pretty much," Leaf answered.

"The heck with that!" Orange shouted angrily. "Ferrothorn, hit 'em with a Flash Cannon!"

Suddenly, everyone heard a metallic snoring sound and were all shocked to see the once-rampaging Ferrothorn sleeping.

"Aw, come on!" Orange said with a groan.

"Well, I guess we'll have to handle this, Krookodile," Ash sighed.

Then, he noticed that Krookodile had fallen asleep as well.

"Hey! How come you listened to me during our battle with Leaf, but you're ignoring me now?" Ash called out to the Ground/Dark-type.

"Krook-krook-o-dile-dile-krook," Krookodile yawned. ("Because I feel like it.")

"Fine then!" Ash said angrily. He then took out a Pokéball and prepared to throw it into the air while yelling, "Charizard, I choose…"

"Uh, uh, uh," Jessie wagged her finger with a sneer. "We won't be having any of that."

She then pushed a button on a remote that caused a large vacuum to appear out of the bottom of the balloon basket. Soon after, the vacuum began sucking at a force so strong that all of the teens' Pokéballs flew out of their hands and off of their belts into the vacuum. As well, some of the smaller Pokémon that were out of their balls were being sucked up.

"Plup!" Piplup shrieked as he was lifted up off of the ground and sucked into the vacuum.

"Piplup!" Dawn shouted in shock as her partner disappeared from view.

"Pi-chu!" Pichu screamed as he flew up after the penguin.

"No!" Gavin yelled angrily.

Even Meowth wasn't safe from the suction power of the vacuum as he was sent flying into the air.

"Augh! Someone save me!" He screeched as he entered the depths of the vacuum.

"Well, it looks like we have all of them," Jessie said gloatingly.

"Uh, Jess, what about those two?" James asked, pointing at Krookodile and Ferrothorn.

"Those losers?" Jessie chuckled. "We're not even gonna worry about those two. There's no way that they're going to listen to their masters. They're not worth our time."

"Wobba-wobba!" Wobbuffet nodded in agreement.

That certainly caught the two rebels' attention. Krookodile and Ferrothorn looked at each other and nodded. They then looked at their trainers and looked at them expectantly.

"Uh, what are they doing?" Ash inquired.

"I think that they're willing to listen to us now so that they can help take down Team Rocket," Orange stated.

"Sounds good to me," Ash grinned. "Alright, Krookodile, time to take them down!"

"Krook!" Krookodile roared at Team Rocket menacingly.

"You ready for this, Ferrothorn?" Orange asked his Pokémon.

"Thorn!" Ferrothorn grunted, glaring at the villains in the balloon.

"Uh, I think we're in trouble," James gulped.

"Wobba," Wobbuffet said in fear.

"Not yet, we're not!" Jessie proclaimed. She then took out a Pokéball and threw it to the ground while shouting, "Arbok, take them out!"

"You too, Weezing!" James added as he tossed his own Pokéball after Jessie's.

In a burst of blue light, the two Poison-type Pokémon appeared and lunged towards Ash and Orange's Pokémon.

"Arbok, use Poison Sting!" Jessie instructed.

Arbok opened its mouth and released a spray of glowing purple darts straight at Krookodile.

"Weezing, use Sludge Bomb!" James directed.

Weezing opened its larger mouth and fired a ball of brown sludge from it at Ferrothorn.

"Krookodile, dodge it and use Stone Edge!" Ash commanded.

Krookodile raised one of its arms into the air and its body became surrounded in white. The white energy then came off Krookodile's body and formed into two rings of white pointed energy orbs that orbited around it. The white light then faded around the orbs and they formed into multiple gray rocks. Krookodile then fired the rocks at Arbok.

"Chaaaabok!" Arbok groaned in pain as it was hit by Krookodile's attack.

Meanwhile, Ferrothorn was hit by Weezing's attack, but the Poison-type attack had no effect on the Steel-type Pokémon.

"Okay, Ferrothorn, hit it with a Power Whip!" Orange ordered.

At that moment, Ferrothorn launched itself into the air towards Weezing and once it got close, it whacked the Poison Gas Pokémon in its larger face with a glowing green tendril.

"Wheee!" Weezing grunted as it was knocked back several feet.

"Don't let them do that to you, Arbok!" Jessie angrily screeched. "Use Ice Fang!"

Arbok's fangs glowed light blue and they grew larger while becoming covered in ice. It then slithered towards Krookodile and prepared to bite it.

"Krookodile, use Sandstorm!" Ash called out.

Krookodile's forearms took on a sparkling white glow as it held its arms out and fired a shining golden beam at the ground. The beam sunk into the ground and left behind a ring of magenta and dark purple with golden light in the middle. Once the glow faded, a tornado of sand burst out of the ground and went straight towards Arbok. Soon enough, the Cobra Pokémon's vision was completely blinded by the blistering winds of sand.

"Weezing, attack that croc with Giga Impact!" James told his Pokémon.

"Oh, no, you don't," Orange countered. "Ferrothorn, use Flash Cannon!"

Just as Weezing began to charge towards Krookodile, Ferrothorn fired a white beam of energy with light blue energy inside of it at the Poison-type. As the beam hit it, Weezing was stopped in its tracks and was knocked down to the ground.

Eventually, when the sand finally cleared on its own, Arbok looked around and saw that Krookodile was gone. In its place however, was a giant hole.

"It must have dug underground!" Jessie concluded. "Arbok, go in after it!"

"I don't think so," Ash smirked. "Krookodile, use Dragon Claw!"

Out of nowhere, Krookodile burst out of the ground behind Arbok and slashed it in the back with glowing blue claws, causing it a lot of damage. And with that, the battle continued.

While the battle continued to rage on the ground, Pikachu was doing his best to try and break out of the robotic claw holding him. Making use of his Iron Tail attack, Pikachu struck the claw multiple times in his escape attempt.

Orange's Gengar, however, was not doing as much to escape his imprisonment. In fact, the shiny Ghost Pokémon had actually fallen asleep.

'_Really_?' Pikachu thought with a groan. '_We're trapped, and Gengar's not even trying to escape. I mean, seriously. It's like nothing fazes him_.'

Suddenly, Pikachu had an idea. It was time for all of the Pokémon to make their escape.

"Pika-pika-pika-pika-pika-pika," Pikachu chanted as he charged up a golden-yellow orb of electricity on the tip of his tail. "Chu-pi!"

He immediately fired the orb from his tail straight at the members of Team Rocket holding him captive.

"Wobbuffet, use Mirror Coat!" Jessie said to the blue blob beside her.

Wobbuffet's body became surrounded in a clear, reflective coating that caused Pikachu's Electro Ball to harmlessly ricochet off of it like a rubber ball. What was unfortunate about it was that the orb ended up hitting Gengar in the face.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Jessie laughed. "How do you think you're going to escape if you keep knocking out your allies, mouse?"

'_Like this, you witch_,' Pikachu thought as he noticed Gengar waking up with an angry look on his face.

"Gen…," Gengar growled as he looked around to see who had hit him with that attack and woken him up from his pleasant nightmare.

"Pika," Pikachu stated. He pointed a finger at Wobbuffet.

"Gen…GAR!" Gengar roared in anger. He then slipped out of the claw easily with the use of his ghostly powers.

"He's making a break for it!" James exclaimed.

"Gar!" Gengar grunted as he fired a Shadow Ball at the arm of the robotic claw that was holding Pikachu. An explosion occurred, and the Electric Mouse started to fall to the ground.

"Don't let him get away!" Jessie shrieked. "Suck him up!"

"Right," James nodded. He then pushed a button that activated the vacuum. Soon, Pikachu disappeared inside of the machine.

"Got him!" James said happily. Then, the smile on his face turned to a panicked frown when he began to feel the balloon shaking violently.

"W-what's h-happening?" Jessie asked while holding onto the edge of the balloon basket for support.

Suddenly, the storage tank on the bottom of the balloon basket burst open and dozens of Pokémon flew out.

"Our Pokémon!" Dawn exclaimed happily.

As the Pokémon came down to the ground, the trainers caught the smaller ones before they could hit the ground while the larger ones and the ones that could fly landed on their own.

"Pikachu!" Ash said with joy as he caught Pikachu.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu smiled as he was reunited with his partner.

"HELP!" They suddenly heard as Meowth fell towards the ground. Luckily for him, Charizard was there to catch him.

"Thanks," Meowth said gratefully, causing Charizard to roar with pride.

"Alright!" Orange said as he and his Gengar embraced. A determined look then appeared in his eyes as he turned to the others and said, "I think that it's time to say good-bye to these crooks."

"I couldn't agree more," Ash nodded. "Krookodile, you use Stone Edge and Pikachu, you use Thunderbolt!"

"Ferrothorn and Gengar, hit 'em with a Flash Cannon and a Shadow Ball!" Orange ordered.

"Krook-o-dile!" Krookodile shouted as he fired a barrage of gray stones from his body at Team Rocket.

"Ferro-thorn!" Ferrothorn rumbled as it let out a white beam of energy with light blue energy inside of it in the same direction.

"Gen-gar!" The shiny Gengar chuckled as he shot a black and purple orb of shadowy energy at their foes.

"Pika-chuuuuuuu!" Pikachu yelled as he released a bolt of powerful yellow electricity.

"GAHHHHH!" Team Rocket screamed as the attacks hit their balloon and exploded. The explosion resulted in them being sent flying off into the horizon.

"We're blasting off again!" They could be heard hollering as they disappeared into the wild blue yonder.

* * *

><p>Ash and the others all sighed in relief that they had finally gotten rid of Team Rocket.<p>

"I'm so glad that those guys are gone," May said happily. "But what were we doing before they attacked?"

Everyone shrugged. None of them could remember. Then, their memories were refreshed when they saw Krookodile and Ferrothorn glaring at one another.

"Krook," Krookodile growled while sunlight cascaded across his sunglasses.

"Thorn," Ferrothorn grunted. The Thorn Pod Pokémon was now using his tendrils to lift his body up closer to Krookodile's eyelevel.

"Oh, yeah!" Max face-palmed himself for his forgetfulness. "Ash was going to have Krookodile battle Orange's Ferrothorn!"

"And it looks like after battling Team Rocket together, these two really want to go at it," Gavin commented.

Ash looked to Orange. "So, how 'bout it? You wanna battle?"

"Why not?" Orange grinned. "A gentleman always accepts a challenge given to him."

* * *

><p>Soon enough, everyone was back to where they were before Team Rocket attacked. Orange and Ash were on opposite sides of the battlefield with their respective partner Pokémon by their sides, Brock was in the middle of the field acting as referee, and the others sat in the grass to watch the battle.<p>

Krookodile and Ferrothorn never stopped glaring at each other as they faced one another. They both looked like they were ready to battle it out hard.

"Alright, you know the rules, so let the battle begin!" Brock proclaimed.

"Krookodile, let's get things going with a Sandstorm attack!" Ash commanded.

Krookodile held out his arms and fired a shining golden beam from his hands at the ground. The ground left a glowing magenta ring on the ground with a golden light in the middle, and then, a giant twister of sand erupted from the ground and went towards Ferrothorn.

"Nice try, Ash, but I know your game!" Orange smirked. "Ferrothorn, use Gyro Ball!"

Ferrothorn held its tendrils up like a propeller and the ends of its tendrils lit up in a light blue glow. It then began spinning around rapidly in the opposite direction that the twister was spinning. Within seconds, Ferrothorn managed to cancel out the sand twister and caused it to dissipate.

Orange had a smug look on his face until he noticed a large hole in the ground where Krookodile had once been standing.

"Ugh! I knew I forgot something!" Orange groaned.

"That's right," Ash grinned. "Krookodile, use Dig!"

Ferrothorn had a panicked look in its eyes as the earth began beneath it to shake. Then, out of nowhere, Krookodile burst out of the ground below the Thorn Pod Pokémon and knocked it up into the air.

Once the Intimidation Pokémon stood back on the field again, however, he winced in intense pain.

"Krookodile!" Ash said in shock.

* * *

><p>"What's wrong with Krookodile?" Vivi asked.<p>

"It was hurt by Ferrothorn's Iron Barbs ability," Tracey answered.

"Iron Barbs?" Misty repeated. "What ability is that?"

"It's an ability that inflicts damage onto any Pokémon that makes contact with the user through physical attacks," Gavin explained. "It's kind of like Ferroseed and Ferrothorn's signature version of Rough Skin."

"So if Krookodile uses any of its physical attacks on Ferrothorn, it's gonna get hurt!" Dawn exclaimed.

Gavin nodded. "Ash is going to have to be real careful in this battle."

"Chu," Pichu said worriedly.

* * *

><p>'<em>Okay, so no physical attacks<em>,' Ash thought as he gave Ferrothorn a good look-over. '_Looks like we'll have to rely on ranged attacks if we want to win this battle_.'

Ash's train of thought was suddenly derailed when Orange yelled out, "Ferrothorn, use Power Whip!"

Ferrothorn immediately lunged towards Krookodile and struck him in the face with its glowing green tendril. Unfortunately for Krookodile, the blow from Ferrothorn knocked his sunglasses off of his face and sent them flying several feet away.

"Krook…," Krookodile gulped nervously. He began twiddling his thumbs and started to whimper.

None of the teens and other Pokémon could believe it. The once super-tough Ground/Dark-type was now as timid as a Caterpie.

"Krookodile, don't worry about your shades!" Ash shouted. "Just keep going!"

Krookodile didn't seem to hear him and instead continued to whimper until he couldn't take it anymore. He then began bounding over towards his beloved shades.

"Not gonna happen!" Orange said with a serious look on his face. "Use Pin Missile!"

All of the spikes on Ferrothorn's tendrils took on a white glow before it fired three streams of glowing white pins from the holes in the middle of the disks.

"Dile, dile, dile," Krookodile huffed and puffed happily as he got closer and closer to reclaiming his sunglasses. All the while, he didn't notice the white pins streaking towards him.

"Krookodile, look out!" Ash hollered out to his Pokémon.

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu echoed.

"Krook!" Krookodile said with joy as he was about to get his sunglasses back. Then, just as he began to reach down to grab them, Ferrothorn's Pin Missile attack hit the ground around Krookodile and exploded, causing Krookodile to be blown backwards several yards.

"Krookodile, are you okay?" Ash inquired.

Krookodile, who was sitting on the ground at the moment, shook the damage off and quickly looked to where his sunglasses had been.

To his horror, the sunglasses that he cherished had been destroyed. The frames were all bent up and the lenses were cracked and shattered. They were damaged beyond repair.

"Wait a minute," Ash said with a contemplating look on his face. "I thought that those sunglasses were unbreakable? Maybe that salesman wasn't the most trusting person in the world."

A fierce anger began to build up within Krookodile. His eyes turned red and he began to tremble uncontrollably. He glared straight at Ferrothorn, causing the Grass/Steel-type's eyes to widen with fear.

"Uh, Krookodile?" Ash gulped. "You feeling alright?"

"Krook…," Krookodile growled ominously. "DILE!"

Suddenly, Krookodile's whole body took on a white glow and heat waves seemed to be coming off of the Ground/Dark-type. Then, he opened his mouth and let out a white-colored stream of flame that was fired at Ferrothorn.

"Thorn!" Ferrothorn screamed in pain as its body was engulfed in flames.

* * *

><p>"Whoa! What was that?" Leaf questioned.<p>

"That was Incinerate," Gary answered. "It's a Fire-type attack that's usually not supposed to be that powerful. I guess that Krookodile's anger enhanced it."

"Wow, Ferrothorn really got burned on that one, huh?" Meowth said with a chuckle.

The others all glared at Meowth, who soon retreated to the corner of woe.

"Why don't any of you think my jokes are funny?" Meowth muttered.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Krookodile was firing one Incinerate after another at Ferrothorn in its rage. From the looks of it, Ferrothorn couldn't hold out much longer.<p>

"Krookodile, stop it!" Ash yelled.

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu echoed.

"KROOK!" Krookodile roared. It seemed like nothing was going to be able to calm it down.

At the same time, Ferrothorn could barely hold itself up anymore. It looked like this was the end for the Thorn Pod Pokémon.

"Ferrothorn, don't give up!" It suddenly heard Orange called out to it.

Ferrothorn turned and looked at its trainer, who had a determined look in his eye.

"Look, no matter what happens, I know that you're great!" Orange told it. "I'm sorry that we haven't gotten along at all since I first caught you, but I know that if we work together, we can overcome any obstacle! But win or lose, you're my friend!"

"Gen-gar!" Gengar said in agreement.

Ferrothorn was shocked. It never knew that its master felt that way. Maybe if he was willing to work with it, then it could work with him, too.

"Ferro-thorn!" Ferrothorn boomed with a newfound confidence.

Suddenly, a ring of white energy surrounded Ferrothorn's body before it blasted the ring at Krookodile, knocking the croc clean off of his feet.

* * *

><p>"What move was that?" Iris inquired.<p>

"That was Payback, a move that doubles in power if the user is hit with an attack first," Cilan said, enlightening his girlfriend.

"Smart as always," Iris giggled before she leaned her body up against the connoisseur's.

* * *

><p>Krookodile groaned as he struggled to get up from the ground, but found that he couldn't. The damage he had received from Ferrothorn's attack was just too great.<p>

Besides, he wouldn't be able to win anyway. Without his sunglasses, he had no chance of winning. Maybe he should just give up.

"Come on, Krookodile!" He heard Ash say to him. "I know that you miss your sunglasses, but you know what? You don't even need them!"

Krookodile managed to sit up slightly and tilted his head at Ash in confusion.

'_What blasphemy is this_?' The Intimidation Pokémon thought.

"You're awesome no matter if you have your sunglasses or not," Ash continued. "This is your chance to prove that you can win a battle without those sunglasses!"

Krookodile thought about it for a moment. Could he really beat Ferrothorn without his shades?

Back when he was a Sandile, his sunglasses had been a source of courage and power that impressed all of his brethren. But ever since he had first started wearing them, losing them had been his weakness. His Kryptonite, per say. If he really could defeat an opponent without them, he would overcome his weakness and become even stronger.

That settled it. It was time to win this battle once and for all.

"Krook-o-dile!" Krookodile growled confidently as he stood back up on his feet.

"Alright," Ash grinned. "Krookodile, use Incinerate!"

"Ferrothorn, use Energy Ball!" Orange instructed.

Krookodile fired a stream of white fire while Ferrothorn shot out a glowing green ball of energy. The two attacks collided and caused a small explosion.

"Use Stone Edge!" Ash ordered.

"Counter it with Flash Cannon!" Orange commanded.

Krookodile soon blasted a barrage of gray rocks at Ferrothorn, but they were stopped by Ferrothorn's powerful Steel-type attack.

"Finish it off with Dragon Claw!" Ash yelled.

"End it with Power Whip!" Orange shouted.

"KROOK!"

"THORN!"

Suddenly, both Pokémon fell face-forward to the ground before either one could use another attack. They were both out cold.

"HUH?" Everyone said in confusion.

* * *

><p>Later on, Ash and Orange were in the Pokémon Center lobby to pick up their Pokéballs from Nurse Joy.<p>

"Those two were worn out when you gave them to me," Nurse Joy told them. "Try not to push them so hard next time, okay?"

Ash and Orange nodded. It seemed that the combined efforts of a battle with Team Rocket and their battle against each other had caused Krookodile and Ferrothorn to faint with fatigue.

"Come on out!" Ash and Orange both yelled simultaneously as they threw the Pokéballs into the air. In a burst of light, the two Pokémon appeared in front of them.

"How are you feeling?" Ash asked.

"Dile," Krookodile yawned lazily.

"Thorn," Ferrothorn said in agreement. Both were still super tired.

"Well, we're glad that you're okay," Orange told them. "It wouldn't be gentlemanly of us if we didn't put you guys' health first!"

"Pika!" Pikachu grinned, giving them a peace sign.

"Gar!" Gengar chuckled.

"Hey, Ash!" They suddenly heard a voice call out to them.

The two trainers and their Pokémon looked up to see the others coming towards them.

"Don't worry, guys," Ash said calmly. "Everything's fine now."

"That's actually not the reason we're here," Gavin explained. "I figured out why Krookodile's sunglasses have been breaking so much lately."

"Really?" Ash's eyebrow rose in confusion.

Gavin nodded. "You see, _somebody_ took Krookodile's sunglasses back at the tournament before the battle and replaced them with a cheap knockoff pair."

Gavin glared down at Pichu, causing the Electric-type to gulp and rub the back of his head sheepishly.

"What about the pair I gave him after the tournament?" Ash inquired.

"That was just another cheap knockoff pair planted by Pichu," Gavin answered. The trainer then looked down at Pichu and said, "Give them back! Now!"

Pichu sighed and begrudgingly walked up to Krookodile and held the real shades up to him.

"Krook-o-dile!" Krookodile said happily as he scooped up his beloved shades and put them back on his face. Krookodile now looked more confident than ever.

"So, is everyone ready to go?" Brock asked. "If we leave now, we should be able to make it Yudon Town by tonight."

"And then it's Contest time!" May and Dawn said enthusiastically.

"Hey, can I come with you?" Orange questioned. "I was going to be heading there anyway, so we might as well go together."

"Sure," Ash smiled. "The more the merrier."

They all then walked out of the center and began to make their way towards Yudon Town.

"Hey, you know, I'm surprised that the writer hasn't done anymore anime physics puns yet," Vivi noted.

"Yeah," Max said with a worried look on his face. "You don't think he's waiting until the end of the chapter to mess with us again, do you?"

"Nah," Gary shook his head. "I think we'll be okay."

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later after they had left Vegos Village, our heroes found their pathway blocked by a small tree that seemed to be unmovable and unavoidable.<p>

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Ash yelled in agony. "_He's _moved onto making fun of the game physics!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The others screamed along with him.

* * *

><p>(Writer's Office)<p>

_"And so, because they were unable to get past the dreaded tree, our heroes never made it to Yudon Town and had to end their journey through Amaro forever," The writer said as he typed. "The end."_

_ "What are you doing?" A girl of about 19 years of age with blonde hair and green eyes asked as she entered the room._

_ "Oh, just ending this story once and for all," The writer explained._

_ "But why?" She questioned. "Your story's become a hit and it's not even close to being done."_

_ "Well, I'm ending it," The writer told her. "I've got other stories to work on like 'Fusion Warriors'."_

_ "But what about the characters?" The girl inquired. "Won't they be mad?"_

_ "Nah, they'll be fine," The writer said while lying back in his chair. "It's not like they're just going to attack me or anything, right?"_

_ Suddenly, there was a fierce knocking at the door. Before the writer or the girl could do anything, the door burst open. They were shocked to see Ash, May, and Pikachu walk in with angry looks on their faces._

_ "What do you think you're doing?" May asked angrily._

_ "Uh, ending the story?" The writer squeaked._

_ "Not now, you don't!" Ash yelled. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"_

_ "Pika-chuuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu shouted as he released a bolt of yellow electricity at the writer._

_ "AHHHHHHHH!" The writer screamed in pain. Eventually, he fell to the ground and stopped moving._

_ "Uh, dudes! Overkill!" The blonde girl said after getting down by the writer's side. "You knocked him out! Now who's gonna write the next chapter?"_

_ "Um…," Ash and May murmured, feeling that they hadn't quite thought this through._

_ "Pika," Pikachu groaned while face-palming himself._

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 49: "Yudon Contest Extravaganza! May and Dawn's Biggest Challenge Yet!"<span>_- After arriving in Yudon Town, Ash and the others run into a few familiar faces at the Contest Hall. As well, May meets up with two people from her past who look to be some fierce competition for her! And what happens when Leaf decides to compete in the contest as well? Find out next time on Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**Ash: Hey, guys! We hope that you enjoyed this chapter!**

**May: And now, due to an accident that wasn't anybody's fault, we're going to tell you guys some announcements.  
><strong>

**Pikachu: And I can talk, so I'm gonna help!  
><strong>

**Ash: Okay, so the writer is doing his best to write and deal with school and work at the same time, so bear with him if updates take a little bit longer than they should.  
><strong>

**May: Also, we'd like to thank The Shiny Gengar for allowing us to bring back his OC Orange for a few chapters! We really encourage you to take a look at his stories!  
><strong>

**Pikachu: As well, KJC71790 asked us to tell all of the people that all of the people that submitted OCs for the Tournament a while back can also submit them to appear in his spin-off story! PM him for details!  
><strong>

**Ash: And now, a serious matter. Lately, the writer has been getting a lot of illegitimate reviews. We would like to ask that if any of you guest reviewers are going to review, at least try to put in a legit review and not just some nonsense. Otherwise, they will be deleted. Thank you.**

**May: Oh, and one more thing. Due to the writer's 'accident', one of us is going to have to write the next chapter for him! So, if you could, please go to the writer's profile and vote on a poll to decide who you all want to see write the next chapter! If you can't see the poll, just PM the writer with your vote!  
><strong>

**Pikachu: And Remember to Read and Review!  
><strong>

**All: See ya!  
><strong>


	49. Chapter 49

**May: Hey, guys! **

**Ash: Guess what? We're not dead!**

**Pikachu: That's right! Now here's the newest chapter written by the character you all voted for, MAY!**

**Dawn: So who's doing the disclaimer?  
><strong>

**Gavin: I've got this. Disclaimer: PichuAuraGu****ardian18 does not own Pokemon or any of its characters. He only owns me, his OC. **

**Meowth: Enjoy! **

_Chapter 49: "Yudon Contest Extravaganza! May and Dawn's Biggest Challenge Yet!"_

(May's POV)

Like I've always said before, I **hate** Harley!

For years, the guy has caused me nothing but trouble. He almost made me lose my first contest against him when he tricked my little brother Max into telling him about the time my own mother thought that I was a Tentacool and tried to catch me with a Pokéball. Then, he played the recording that he had secretly made during his and Max's conversation for the entire audience to hear. It was so embarrassing!

Even after that, he's earned my sincere hatred from all of the stunts that he's pulled to mess me up. I could never forgive him for all of that. Not in a million years.

However, out of all of the bad things that he's done, he does occasionally do something nice for me, even if it was unintentional. Like today's contest. He did something very sinister to try and mess with my head, but it really worked out in the long run.

But what did he do, you may ask? One of the best and worst possible things he could've ever done: he called my cousin.

* * *

><p>The day had started out fine. At the time, I had no idea that something bad was soon going to happen. That was my second mistake. My first mistake happened the night before.<p>

It was evening when Ash and I, along with all of our friends, arrived in Yudon Town just in time for all of us to get two rooms at the Pokémon Center. We sometimes got lucky like that.

We split up into two groups, boys in one room and girls in the other. It was a tight squeeze trying to fit fourteen people and a few small Pokémon into just two rooms, but we managed. Now, each of the two groups had only one more thing to settle before we could all hit the hay: who had to sleep on the floor.

There were only two bunk beds in each room, enough for four people to each get a bed. However, that meant there was going to be two girls that had to sleep on the floor. I knew there was going to be a fight, and I knew that it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Dawn, you got a bed last time!" Iris had yelled. "It's your turn to sleep on the floor!"

"But I've got a contest tomorrow!" Dawn complained. "I need a nice, firm mattress to stay in tip-top shape! Make Vivi sleep on the floor!"

"No way!" The red-haired Winstrate girl protested. "I deserve to get a bed more than you two Magikarp-faces!"

"Say what?" Both the Sinnoh native and the Unova native screeched in unison.

I then let out an annoyed sigh as I watched Dawn and Iris rush over to tear Vivi apart, limb from limb.

Usually, these three aren't like this, but it had been a long day, so I just walked past them and lay down on the bottom bunk of one of the beds. After I lay down, however, I looked up to see Leaf's grinning face peaking over the edge of the bed above mine.

"Never a dull moment, huh?" She said with a chuckle. "Want me to shut them up?"

I nodded exasperatedly. "Please."

"Alright, but first, you're gonna need these," Leaf told me as she handed me a pair of earplugs. "You want some, Misty?"

"Toss them over," Misty said from the top bunk opposite of Leaf's.

Leaf quickly tossed her over a pair and both of us put them into our ears. I then noticed Leaf pull a Pokéball out of her purse and open it. It released a burst of light blue glowing light. I was actually surprised that the three arguing girls never noticed it. They just kept on arguing.

Seconds later, I saw a round, pink blob with a red bow on its head sitting next to Leaf on the top bunk. I watched in silence as Leaf said something to it and the blob nodded.

Because of the earplugs blocking out my hearing, I could only watch as Jigglypuff assumedly sung a lullaby that caused Dawn, Iris, and Vivi to all pass out and fall to the floor. They had been knocked out cold and were now snoring soundly.

After Leaf gave us a signal, Misty and I popped out our earplugs. I then noticed that Leaf hadn't worn any and was still wide awake. It was amazing how she was the only one of us who wasn't put to sleep by Jigglypuff's song.

Suddenly, we were interrupted by a hard knock on the door. I immediately got out of the bed and walked over to it. When I opened it up, I was both surprised and happy to see Ash standing there.

"Uh, not that we're complaining, but did you all have to resort to Plan J?" He asked while holding up a snoozing Pikachu. "Apparently, the two doors and hallway weren't enough to block out the sound of Jigglypuff's song for everyone."

"Oops, sorry about that," I said sheepishly. "Well, luckily it was didn't affect all of the Pokémon."

"Um, did you forget about Piplup?" Ash inquired.

…

I turned around and saw that the small, blue penguin was passed out on the floor beside his trainer's body. I had totally forgotten about him.

"I'm so sorry, Piplup," I said apologetically, even though he probably didn't hear me.

"But wait, there's more," Two voices said behind me.

I turned back around to see Gavin and Orange standing behind Ash. In Gavin's arms was Pichu, who was now fast asleep, and as for Orange, he had a shiny Gengar snoring on his back.

"We're really sorry, guys," I apologized for the third time now. "We just couldn't take their arguing any more. By the way, what happened to the others?"

"They already took control of our room's bunk beds and went to sleep," Orange answered.

"And Meowth was already asleep, so I decided to just leave him alone for right now," Ash told me.

"Which means that the three of us are stuck on the floor tonight," Gavin groaned. "My back is going to be killing me in the morning."

"**Your** back is going to be killing **you**?" Orange said incredulously. "I've got an eighty-nine pound ghost snoring on my back, and **you're** worried about sleeping on the floor?"

"Point taken," Gavin admitted. He then turned to me and asked, "So May, are you and Dawn ready for the contest tomorrow?"

"Almost," I replied nervously. "We managed to figure out an appeal, but we still need to decide on who we're gonna use for the contest battles."

"Hey, May?" I turned around to see Leaf looking at me. "I don't really know much about Pokémon Contests. Do you think that you could explain them to me?"

"I'm a little intrigued as well," Orange said as he gently laid his Gengar down on the ground. "They didn't really have Pokémon Contests where I'm from."

"Where exactly are you from, anyway?" Gavin asked.

"I can't tell you," Orange told him. "Trade secret."

"Oh, whatever," Gavin said sarcastically while he rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I call BS!"

"BS?" Orange tilted his head in confusion. "What's that supposed to stand for?"

"Burping Swalots!" Gavin smirked as-a-matter-of-factly.

"What?" Orange yelled in outrage. "You son of a Baltoy!"

Apparently, what Gavin said had really insulted Orange, because the self-proclaimed gentleman proceeded to tackle Gavin and send the two of them rolling down the hallway. We heard a few thumps coming from their fight going downstairs and into the lobby.

"Pi-chu!"

I looked down at the floor to see a cranky-looking electric mouse glaring down the hallway.

"Pi-chu-pi-pi-chu-chu-pi-chu-pi-chu-pi-chu-pi-chu-chu-pi!" He growled with yellow electric sparks dancing across his cheeks. ("Nobody interrupts my beauty rest and gets away with it!")

At that, I watched as Pichu ran down the hallway after them, and soon noticed that he wasn't the only Pokémon that had been woken up by Orange and Gavin's fighting.

"Pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu said as he chased after him. ("It's not worth it!")

The boys' door then opened, revealing an angry-looking Meowth.

"I'm gonna throttle those guys!" Meowth said with bloodshot eyes as he followed the others.

"Pi-plup-pi-plup!" Piplup twittered as he waddled along after them as fast as he could. ("Wait for me!")

"Gen-gar-gen-gar-gen!" Gengar chuckled as he went down through the floor with a menacing grin on his face. ("I've gotta see this!")

(Now, I'm not sure if they actually said this, but I think it's a pretty safe bet to say that they did.)

"Oh, Arceus," Ash groaned in annoyance. "I'd better go stop them before things get ugly."

He quickly gave me a kiss on the cheek and then ran after them.

For a few seconds, I just stood there gaping. I could feel the heat rising up into my cheeks and knew immediately that I was blushing madly.

Even though Ash and I have been dating for at least three months now, that guy was still somehow able to make my brain go numb and take my breath away.

"Uh, May?" Misty's voice snapped me out of my daze. "You told Leaf that you were going to tell her about Pokémon Contests?"

"Right. Sorry!" My blush turned into one of embarrassment. "Let's get started!"

* * *

><p>We talked for hours about all of the different aspects of contests, including appeal rounds and contest battles.<p>

As I went on and on, I noticed that there seemed to be a strange gleam in Leaf's brown eyes, similar to the way Ash and Gavin's eyes lit up during intense battles. I couldn't help but wonder what was going on in that girl's head.

To be honest, when I first met Leaf, I didn't know whether I could actually trust her or not. I mean, she was the girl that Ash had known the longest and maybe even knew him better than I did. Until I saw how well she and Gary got along, I didn't know if she was here to steal Ash from me or not.

I know what you all are thinking. I sound like a super-jealous, possessive, and overly-protective girlfriend right now. But that's not me. Not completely.

It's just that I never know what to think whenever I meet other girls that have greatly impacted Ash's life.

When we first met, I can't say that I didn't think he was unattractive. It's just that I wasn't instantly attracted to him. As we traveled together more though, I developed a crush and intense feelings for him, especially after the Sea Temple incident.

Then, I met some of the other girls in Ash's life. When I met Misty, I was instantly jealous because Ash had talked about her all of the time and I thought that he might like her instead. The same went for Dawn when I met up with them in Sinnoh and for Iris when we ran into them here in Amaro.

Eventually, I got over it, especially after Ash has proven him love for me over and over again; even risking his life to save me from Drew when he kidnapped me and Dawn that one time.

Still, I always wished that I could prove my love for Ash somehow, just like he does. I mean, he's undertaken many feats to show his love, so why can't I?

When we all finally went to sleep, I closed my eyes, not knowing that I would get my chance to fulfill my wish the next day.

* * *

><p>"May, hurry up or we're gonna be late!" Dawn yelled as she ran down the sidewalk in front of me with Piplup at her heels.<p>

"Pi-plup!" Piplup chirped as he struggled to keep up with his trainer.

"I'm coming!" I shouted back as I jogged behind her.

It was finally the morning of the Yudon Town Pokémon Contest, and of course, we had slept in late! If we didn't hurry, we were going to miss our chance to register for the contest!

I was totally out of breath, but I kept pushing myself. There was no way I was going to miss out on this contest. That third ribbon was ours.

Once the contest hall was finally in sight, my eyes lit up and I broke out into a sprint, passing both Dawn and Piplup as I gained speed.

I was going to make it! Nothing was going to stop me no–

"May, look out!" I heard Dawn shriek. Before I could even turn around and what she was talking about, I collided into what felt like another person and we both fell to the ground.

Man, did my head hurt. Even rubbing it didn't help completely. I was in so much pain that I couldn't even find the strength to open my eyes.

"Ow," I heard the person that I had run into grumble, along with sounded like stifled curses.

"Sorry about that," I quickly apologized. "I wasn't looking where I was going. I didn't mean to…"

"May?" A male voice said in confusion.

I was startled. How did he know my name?

When I finally was able to open my eyes, I was completely taken aback. "Brendan?"

Sitting on the ground next to me was a pale-tanned boy of about thirteen years of age with spiked black hair curved upwards like a flame that had white streaks running through it. He wore a black headband with a white Pokéball symbol on it and had on a pair of glasses over his brown eyes.

"May, it is you!" Brendan exclaimed as he shot back up onto his feet. "I can't believe it! It's been so long!"

"I know!" I said after I stood up beside him. He was still shorter than me, but only by a little bit. I then reached in and gave him a hug. "It's so great to see you!"

"Uh, May, you're crushing me." I heard Brendan mutter. Then, I let go once I realized that I had been hugging him way too hard.

"Sorry," I said while sticking my tongue out in embarrassment. "It's just that it's been years since I last saw you! How have you been? And what in the world are you wearing?"

Brendan was wearing a black jacket made of leather or something with the collar up. He wore it open over a white t-shirt, and also wore a pair of black pants that were held up by a black-and-white belt, a black glove on one hand and a white glove on the other, and black-and-white shoes. To me, he kind of looked like some kind of like a retro vampire that had come out of the pictures I had seen of my grandfather as a teenager.

"What? My threads are awesome!" He puffed his cheeks out in annoyance. "You just don't understand good fashion sense."

"You don't have any," I giggled, causing him to turn red in anger.

"May, are you okay?" I suddenly heard Dawn call out as she ran up to us with Piplup at her side. She then looked at Brendan and asked, "Who's this?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied with a smile on my face. "This is Brendan Withe, my little cousin."

"I'm not little!" Brendan protested. "I'm almost as tall as you!"

"Almost," I smirked, continuing to get on his nerves.

"You never mentioned that you had a cousin before," Dawn remarked.

"Well, neither did Ash," I grinned.

"I guess you two are more alike than we thought," Dawn chuckled. "Yet another reason why you and Ash work so well together."

"Ash?" Brendan echoed. "Who's Ash?"

"He's…" I began to answer, but then, I heard a familiar voice cry out, "Hey, May!"

The three of us turned around and I was happy to see Ash and the others all running up towards us.

"Did you two really have to leave without us?" Ash asked as he struggled to breathe. "There's still some time left for you two to register."

"Yes, but we still have to get a spot, Ash!" I countered.

"You're right," Ash replied with a sigh. "Sorry, May."

"Who's this?" Brock inquired, looking towards Brendan.

"He's my cousin!" Max exclaimed as he had just now noticed Brendan standing there. My little brother then ran towards him and hugged him (It was apparently a manly hug, as Max would later tell me). I noted that Max was only a few inches shorter than Brendan.

"Hey, buddy," Brendan said with a broad grin. "How ya been? I heard you got your first Pokémon!"

"Same here!" Max said after he broke off their hug. "You've gotta show me what Pokémon you have!"

"Well, you'll get to see them at today's contest," Brendan said mysteriously. He looked at me and said, "You are competing as well, right, May?"

"Yeah, but I heard that you were doing contests in Unova," I replied in confusion. "What are you doing here in Amaro?"

"Oh, I got a call from some woman saying that you were gonna be here today," Brendan answered. "So, we decided to come here and compete."

Now, I was confused. We?

I was about to ask him what he meant, when I suddenly noticed a figure walking towards us.

It was a girl who looked to be about twelve with fair, pale skin. She had jet black hair with red streaks running through it tied up in a ponytail and had bright blue eyes. She wore a red t-shirt with a white jacket over it, black shorts with a white belt, and red-and-white shoes. She was gorgeous.

"Brendan, are you going to come register for the contest or not?" She asked with her hands on her hips and an impatient look on her face. "There are only a few spots left!"

"In a minute, Winter! Come meet my cousins!" Brendan called back.

"Fine." Winter walked up towards us and held out her hand. "Hi, my name is Winter Bama. It's nice to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too," I answered while shaking Winter's hand. She had a pretty firm grip for a twelve year old. Something told me that I didn't want to get on her bad side.

"So, now that your friends know us, why don't you introduce them as well?" Brendan suggested.

I nodded. "Alright, well, first we have Gary Oak, Professor Oak's grandson…"

Gary nodded at them and gave Brendan and Winter one of his signature Gary Oak smirks.

"You're the grandson of the famous Professor Oak?" Winter exclaimed in disbelief. "Can I have your autograph?"

"Uh…," Gary murmured. He didn't look like he knew what to do with Winter looking up at him with her big blue eyes.

"Moving on." I turned to see Leaf with a slightly irritated look on her face. She then recomposed herself and said, "My name's Leaf Green. Nice to meet you!"

"Yeah, whatever." Winter waved her hand as if she was shooing Leaf away. "So Gary, what's it like being the grandson of _the _Professor Oak?"

"Um…," Gary mumbled. It looked like the famous Gary Oak that Ash had told me about was speechless. Who would've guessed?

Meanwhile, I couldn't help being scared when I saw Leaf glaring angrily at Winter. Her eyes were red, smoke was literally shooting from her ears like a tea kettle, and I could hear her growling angrily like a Poochyena whose food had been stolen.

"Uh, maybe the rest of us should introduce ourselves," Ash suggested. "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and this is my partner, Pikachu."

"Pika!" Pikachu waved.

"You're Ash?" Brendan asked while tilting his head in confusion. "May was just talking about you."

"Really?" Ash questioned.

"Of course!" I said proudly as I laced my fingers with his. "Why wouldn't I tell my cousin about my boyfriend?"

"YOUR WHAT?" Brendan shouted in shock. His face was at first pale and his jaw had dropped, but then, his jaw clenched, his eyebrows furrowed, and his face turned red. "You're telling me that this Kanto trainer is your boyfriend?"

"Hey!" Ash yelled. "What's wrong with Kanto?"

"Nothing, if you don't mind having weak Pokémon," Brendan sneered.

"What did you say?" Ash snarled.

"Pi-kaaaa…," Pikachu growled with his cheeks lighting up with yellow electricity.

"Ash, no!" I said as I quickly grabbed a hold of him from behind.

I couldn't believe it. I'd never seen this side of Brendan before. Just what had Unova done to him?

Brendan then turned to me. "May, I cannot allow you to continue dating this Kanto trainer anymore. You'll have to break up with him and come travel with me."

Oh, no, he didn't. He did not just say that. No matter how mad Ash and Leaf had been, their anger paled in comparison to mine right now.

"What?" I exclaimed in fierce anger. "You can't just tell me who I can and can't date!"

"Actually, I can," Brendan smirked. "The Maple family code states that if just one relative disapproves of another family member's significant other, that family member has to break up with that other and find someone else more suitable towards the family's needs."

While the others looked on in shock, I just stood there growling. He was right. I hated that stupid code. But I wasn't going to let him get away with this so easily.

"How about this?" I said slyly. "We're both going to be in today's contest, right? Well, if I manage to beat you and win the ribbon, then you have to approve of my relationship with Ash."

"But what if you lose?" Brendan asked with a raised eyebrow. "Does that mean you'll break up with him and come travel with me from now on?"

I gritted my teeth. This was a tough decision. I didn't know how good he was, so for all I knew, he could beat me. However, I wasn't going to give up without a fight.

"Yes," I muttered sadly.

The others all gasped.

"May, don't do this!" Ash told me. "It's not worth the risk. I can't lose you."

"Ash, if I don't do it, then I will lose you!" I snapped. "This is something I have to do!"

I looked sternly at Brendan. "It's a deal."

Brendan nodded. "Alright then. I'll see you in the finals."

With that, Brendan and Winter walked away, leaving me and the others looking distraught.

"May, are you okay?" Dawn inquired.

"I'm fine, Dawn," I answered. "I know that we can win this."

"But what if he is stronger than you guys?" Vivi asked with worry. "You and Ash will have to break up."

"Oh, that's not going to happen," Leaf suddenly spoke up. "Because they're going to lose before they even get a chance to battle you."

"How do you know that?" Brock questioned.

"I know it because I'm entering this contest, too," Leaf explained.

"WHAT?" We all gasped. She was going to compete? Is that why she was asking me all of those questions last night?

"But you don't have a partner!" Gary protested.

"Yes, she does," Orange said with a grin. "A gentleman always helps a lady in need. Don't worry, May. He won't get past us."

I nodded and gave the others a forced smile, but still felt really nervous. What if my cousin actually did beat me? I would have to leave Ash forever! No, I wasn't going to think about that! I mean, at least it was just Brendan I had to deal with.

Little did I know that a certain someone was plotting against me to try and make me lose before I had to face my cousin in today's Contest.

* * *

><p>"Hurry, May!" Dawn shrieked with fright while waving her arms all over the place. "Fix my hair! Fix my hair!"<p>

At the moment, Dawn, Leaf, and I were in the Contest Hall's dressing room after all of us had registered. While Leaf was still changing in the changing stall, Dawn and I were making some last minute touches on our outfits.

"Alright, alright." I said with a groan. Sometimes she was just so dramatic when it came to her hair. If a single hair was out of place, she basically thought that it was the end of the world or something. Although, in this case, she wasn't too far off.

Dawn's hair was wilder than even Iris's. It was more tangled than a Tangrowth's vines. It was bushier than a Zoroark's mane. It was spikier than a Jolteon's fur. In fact, it rivaled the crazy hair style that I had seen wild Bouffalant have in the pictures that Ash had shown me. To be honest, I wasn't even sure that I could fix this one.

"Pi-pluuup." I noticed that Piplup looked a bit scared of his trainer's hairdo.

"Don't worry, Piplup," I reassured him. "I've got this."

Piplup nodded and gave me a smile. I had to admit that the penguin was really cute!

With a sigh, I went into Dawn's bag and pulled out a blue hairbrush. I then walked over behind her and started to try to fix her wild do.

"Thanks so much, May," Dawn exhaled in relief a few minutes later after I had finished. "You don't know how grateful I am."

"Oh, I think I do," I told her with a sigh. "So, you ready for this?"

"I know that **I** am," Dawn answered. I noticed she looked a bit concerned at the moment. "The question is are **you **ready for this? I mean, what were you thinking coming up with a bet like that? You do realize that if you lose, you'll have to break up with Ash and go travel with your cousin, right? It's too risky!"

I looked down at the ground so that my best friend couldn't see my face. I didn't want her to see me cry.

"I don't care about the risks," I managed to sputter out. "I have to do this. Ash has done a lot in the past to prove his love for me. He's saved my life countless times, battled Drew when he kidnapped us, and he even risked his own life just to keep me safe. The very least I could do is do the same for him. I will defeat my cousin."

"It does seem strange, though." Dawn and I turned our heads when we noticed that Leaf was coming out of the changing room. "To think that he would just happen to show up here and try to force you out of your relationship with Ash after getting a call from some woman."

I was dazzled when I finally saw Leaf fully step out of the stall. She was wearing an absolutely beautiful, strapless, dark green sequence dress with a light green ribbon tied around her waist. The cut of her dress stopped just above her feet. Her brown hair that was usually covered up by her signature white hat was now hatless and I could tell that it had been brushed very well as it looked more luscious and fuller than before. She was even wearing a slight bit of make-up, which was a bit unusual for her because she usually didn't wear any. Her full lips were coated in bright red lipstick that seemed to make her brown eyes light up. She looked amazing.

"Wow, Leaf!" Dawn suddenly exclaimed, ending the silence caused by our awe-stricken staring. "You look incredible!"

"Spectacular, even," I added. She really did look beautiful. Who would have ever thought that the Pallet Town native could have looked this amazing after fifteen minutes in a changing stall?

"Thanks, guys," Leaf smiled happily. "I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to look in this dress. I've never actually had a chance to wear it before."

"Hey, Leaf," I said, catching her attention. "There is something that I wanted to ask you. Why did you decide to enter this contest, anyway?"

"Well, to be honest, I was already kind of intrigued about it when I first heard that you two were coordinators," Leaf began while touching her finger to her chin contemplatively. "But I really decided that I wanted to enter this contest when I met that Winter brat. She's just so…irritating!"

Leaf exhaled in frustration, causing a smile to make its way onto my face. I could easily tell that Winter's flirting with Gary had made her green with envy.

Get it? _Green_ with envy? Leaf _Green_? I crack myself up.

"But still, I can't help wonder who called our cousin out of the blue…," Leaf thought out loud. "It's almost like that person wanted this to happen to try and mess you up in today's contest."

"Ding-ding-ding! You're absolutely right, honey!" A familiar voice suddenly shouted right behind me. I was so surprised that I flinched. I was so shocked and frightened that I couldn't move.

'_Oh, no_,' I thought as I realized who the owner of the voice was. '_Not him. Anybody but him. Please!_'

For a moment, I deeply considered whether it was such a good idea or not to turn around and see if my assumptions were correct.

Strike that. I knew it was bad idea right from the beginning, but I had to know for sure. So, after recomposing myself to at least seem brave, I slowly turned around to look at the person behind me. Unfortunately for me, my assumptions were correct.

"Well, hello there, my little Gingerbread Cookie!" A purple-haired man who looked like he was cosplaying as a Cacturne wearing in a tuxedo said with wave.

Even though he was wearing a more formal version of his usual Cacturne outfit, it was still more disgusting to look at him than getting sprayed by a Garbodor's sludge. It was the bane of my existence, Harley.

"Harley," I finally managed to grunt. Ugh, just saying his name made me want to vomit. "What are you doing here?"

"Why, competing in today's contest, silly!" Harley said giggling like a school girl. "I've gotta get those ribbons for the Grand Festival somehow, don't I? How many do you have right now, May?"

"We've got two," I answered a bit arrogantly.

"Only two?" Harley chuckled. "Poor May. Still as slow as ever."

"Well, how many do you have?" Dawn asked. Even though she hadn't dealt with Harley too much, I could tell that she didn't think too kindly of him, either.

"Well, Miss Berlitz, why don't I have one of your old friends show you?" Harley smirked at the blunette. He then cupped his hand over his mouth and yelled, "Oh, Ursula, darling! You can come in, now!"

I just watched as Dawn's expression turned from irritated to full-on angry when her pink-haired rival popped her head into the room. Even though I hadn't dealt with Ursula that very much, I think I now hated her just as much as Dawn now hated Harley. It was kind of hard not to hate them, honestly. If somebody actually didn't hate Harley, it'd probably be the sign of the Apocalypse or something.

"Hey there, Deedee!" Ursula said with a sneer. "How's my favorite loser doing?"

Surprisingly, Dawn just smiled and replied, "I wouldn't know, Ursula, considering the fact that you've lost to me in just about every contest that we've competed against each other in."

"Plup," Piplup smiled proudly.

Ursula's eye twitched a bit and she looked kind of angry at Dawn. Her anger soon subsided, however, and an evil grin appeared on her face.

"Well, let's see what clever quip you have up your arsenal once you've seen all of our ribbons!" Ursula snickered as she pulled out a toxic purple-colored ribbon case. When she opened it up, we were all shocked to see that they had four ribbons in there.

"How did you get four ribbons?" Dawn asked in utter shock.

"Sheer talent, my dear," Harley gloated. "Talent that none of you will ever have, I'm afraid."

"It's just too bad that you're so far behind in ribbons compared to us," Ursula grinned. "In fact, this will be you two's last contest once you're defeated and we finally break up the Dream Team."

"Ursula!" Harley said with a bit of whine. "That was supposed to stay our little secret!"

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist!" Ursula told him. "I mean, it's not like it isn't obvious already that we were the ones that called May's cousin and invited him here!"

"So it was you who called him here!" I burst out angrily. "Why did you do that?"

"Well, as Ursula darling was kind enough to point out," Harley began to explain with an ever-widening smirk on his face, "once you lose this contest, you'll have to break up with your little boy-toy Ashy and leave your friends to go and travel with your cousin. Not only will it break your spirits enough to keep you out of anymore contests, but it will also help a certain someone get his revenge on Ketchum."

"Are you talking about Drew?" I sputtered out. "He would never do something this evil!"

"Well, I think we all know that he can be pretty evil from that little kidnapping experience he put you in," Harley sneered. "However, you're correct. Drew doesn't know a thing about this. But seeing as he's so desperate to make you his, once you've been forced to break up with Ketchum, we'll offer him the chance to try and make you his as long as the both of you drop out of contests forever."

"That's just evil!" Dawn gasped in horror.

"Pi-plup!" Piplup chirped with rage.

"No, it's smart," Ursula leered. "Once May and Drew are taken out of the running for Top Coordinator, you'll have no partner to compete with and will have to drop out as well. Three major rivals will be taken care of and it will only take some further manipulation to knock out the rest of the competition so that Harley and I win the Grand Festival."

"It's hard to believe that we have your dim-witted cousin and his girlfriend to thank for wiping out our competition," Harley giggled. "If he had been smarter, he would've seen through our plan from the start. Good thing he doesn't have any brains!"

I couldn't believe it. Two of me and Dawn's biggest rivals were going to take both of us out of the running for the Amaro Grand Festival and Top Coordinators just because of my family's stupid tradition. Because of me, my cousin had been outwitted, Dawn would lose her chance to follow in her mom's footsteps, and I was going to lose both my dreams and my boyfriend forever.

Leaf, Dawn, and I just sat there and steamed with anger as the two of them began to laugh evilly. Then, however, they stopped when we all heard a voice behind them say, "Man, that's some messed-up plan you've got there. Too bad it'll never work."

All of us looked towards the door and we were surprised to see a brown-haired teen standing there with a blue ghost floating by his side. He was wearing a black tuxedo suit with an orange tie around his neck, he had a top hat on his head and a monocle over his eye, and there was an orange rose sticking out of the front pocket on his tuxedo jacket. In his hand was a black wooden cane with what looked like a Pokéball attached to the top of it.

Just looking at Orange made me want to stop being angry and burst out with laughter, but I managed to hold it in and remained silent.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Ursula asked with a raised eyebrow and a sneer taking up half of her face. "The Pokéopoly Man?"

Both Harley and Ursula laughed at Ursula's joke while Orange just smiled calmly.

"No, Madame," Orange shook his head with a chuckle. "I'm just a gentleman passing through."

"A gentleman?" Harley repeated with a snicker. "What kind of gentleman uses a Gengar?"

"The best kind," Orange answered. "Right, buddy?"

"Gen-gar-gen-gar," Orange's Gengar said while giving me, Dawn, and Leaf a bow.

I could feel laughter building up inside of me. I couldn't hold it much longer. Just why was Orange trying to make me laugh so much?

"So, are you five ladies ready for today's Contest?" Orange inquired.

"Hey!" Harley shouted. "Who are you calling a lady?"

Orange tilted his head in confusion. "Well, you are a lady, aren't you?"

"Do I look like a lady?" Harley snapped angrily.

"Hmm…," Orange murmured, putting his hand to his chin. "Is that a trick question?"

Harley shrieked in anger. To our surprise, he sounded like an angry teenage girl!

I couldn't hold it in any longer. I immediately burst out laughing at Harley's misfortune. Dawn and Leaf's laughter soon followed, and even Ursula snickered a bit.

Harley growled at Orange like an angry Raticate. "You're gonna pay for that one, _Mister Gentleman_! Just wait until I kick your butt in today's Contest!"

"I look forward to seeing you try," Orange nodded with a smile.

With one last snarl, Harley stormed out of the room. Orange just managed to get out of the way as the Cacturne fanatic stomped past him with Ursula in tow. As soon as they were gone, I gave a relieved sigh.

"Thanks, Orange," I said gratefully.

"I still can't believe that those two would go to such lengths to knock you two out of the running for the Grand Festival," Leaf commented. "I mean, it is just a competition, right?"

"It's more than that," Dawn told her. "Remember, this is supposed the ultimate region. Whoever wins the Grand Festival here will have the best shot at becoming the Top Coordinator. If Harley and Ursula knock us out of the Contest circuit here, we could be knocked out of the running for Top Coordinator for good."

"Well, we're not going to let that happen, right?" Orange said with a sympathetic smile.

"Gen-gar!" Gengar cheered.

"Pi-plup!" Piplup chirped in agreement.

I gave them all a nod and a real smile this time. I was determined. There was no way that I was going to lose to Harley this time. I've beaten him before and I can do it again. To be honest, Harley had actually given me the drive I needed to convince myself to try and win this contest. I was not going to lose. Not in a million years. Today, I was going to win.

* * *

><p>(Unknown POV)<p>

So, Harley really believes that he tricked me? I beg to differ. If he thinks he can try to hurt May and get away with it, he's got another thing coming. However, I can't tell May that I know what's going on. I have to make sure that she's worthy of the family name. So come on, May. Come and get me. Come and win.

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 50: "The Contest Begins! Triumph Against Rivals!"<span>_- The Contest has just begun and our heroes watch as May and Dawn compete against several other powerful coordinating teams! And to top it all off, May and Dawn are matched up in the first round of Contest battles with Harley and Ursula! Will they be able to beat their rivals? And will they be able to get the chance to face off against Brendan and Winter? Find out next time on PLOU!

**Hey, what are you guys doing?**

**Characters: Nothing!  
><strong>

***They all run away*  
><strong>

**Sigh. Sorry about that, guys. But now that I'm finally awake, maybe now we can move this story along some more! XD  
><strong>

**Okay, I know that I said that when I posted this chapter, I'd be posting four more chapters, but to be honest, Writer's Block was being extra evil this time.  
><strong>

**However, I do seem to work better when I'm focusing on just one story, so until further notice or at least until I get this story done, all of my other stories are going to be put on hold.  
><strong>

**Yeah, I know. I hate it, too. But if you remember last year, I used to post so many more chapters than I do now. So, I want to try to focus on this story and maybe finish it sometime next year or so. I apologize to those who enjoy reading Fusion Warriors or Awake or the one chapter of Kyurem and the Sword of Justice, but it has to be done. This was my first story and my most popular, so I really want to get this story back on track.  
><strong>

**And as for my next update, I'm going to be trying to write a bunch of chapters so that I can start a regular posting schedule. So, it may be another slight wait on the next chapter, but I'll try to write as quickly as I can this time. Although, I'm about to have a busy month in school, so bear with me. December's coming up, so I'll be out soon!  
><strong>

**Also, do you all remember when I said that I would never write another OC Tournament again? Well, while it's against my better judgment, I've decided to do another one. This one isn't going to be like the last one. We're going to focus more on the battles of the main characters, so sent in OCs that battle each other will have shorter battles. I'll still try to make them as epic as I can, but I want to try and finish this tournament in maybe 6 or 7 chapters. All OCs from the past tournament are free to enter, but you have to PM me to let me know. Otherwise, I can't let you in. This is going to be a 64-person tournament, and because Ash and the others are all in it, about 13 spots are already taken, plus another spot that has been taken by a certain character. People from last tournament have higher priority than new OCs, so if there is just one spot left and a person from the last tournament wants it, they're going to get it. Sorry, but that's the way it's gonna be.  
><strong>

**Another thing. This tournament will have the OCs use only a single Pokemon each for the entire tournament. Here's a list of Pokemon that cannot be entered: Mewtwo, Mew, Lugia, Ho-oh, Celebi, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Jirachi, Deoxys, Cresselia, Uxie, Mespirit, Azelf, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Regigigas, Phione, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus, Victini, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Keldeo, Meloetta, and Genesect.  
><strong>

**Remember: ONE POKEMON. Even if you've sent me an OC before, I must have a PM from you (Not in review) that specifies who the OC is, what Pokemon they're using, and update me if they're fashion style has changed or something. Now, this tournament won't start until chapter 60, so you've all got plenty of time to get your OCs in. So, good luck! Remember, PM me the OCs! I don't want to see any of the OC stuff in reviews, alright?  
><strong>

**Oh, and I have to say thank you to The Shiny Gengar and Aurareader for letting me use their OCs. Read their stories! They are both awesome writers!  
><strong>

**Well, that's all I have to say. Read and Review! See you guys next time!  
><strong>


	50. Chapter 50

**Wazzup, everybody? I really wasn't expecting to update as early as this, but I kind of wanted to make it up to you all for missing Advanceshipping Day. Happy late Advanceshipping Day, everyone! Also, I had to make some adjustments so that I could update today, so that's why the chapter name is different. Details about the tournament at the end of the chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. **

Chapter_ 50: "The Contest Begins! Triumph Against Rivals!"_

"Welcome, everyone, to the official Yudon Town Pokémon Contest!"

There was a loud eruption of applause and cheering from the audience sitting in the stands of the Yudon Town Contest Hall. At last, the contest was about to begin as the contest announcer Jillian stood on the stage with a green dress on and a microphone in her hand.

"Before we begin, let me point out our judges proceeding over this contest!" Jillian continued. She made a gesture over on the side of the stage to the three judges sitting at a table with black screens on the front.

"First, we have the Chief of the Pokémon Activities Committee, Mr. Raoul Contesta!" She said, indicating a middle aged man with black hair with gray streaks running through it and wearing a red tuxedo suit with black pants and a black bow tie sitting in the first seat at the table.

"It is my distinguished pleasure to be able to judge what should be an amazing contest!" Mr. Contesta stated in his personal microphone to the crowd.

"Next, is the President of the Pokémon Fan Club, Mr. Sukizo!" Jillian announced as she pointed to the second judge with brown hair and a blue suit on.

"This is remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo said with his usual catchphrase.

"And last, but certainly not least, we have Yudon Town's very own Nurse Joy!" Jillian added while gesturing towards the pink-haired nurse.

"I'm so glad that I get the chance to watch this wonderful event!" Joy told the audience with a smile that made the guys' hearts melt.

"Nurse Joy! I love yo-GAH!"

At the moment, everyone sitting in the audience watched as Brock was dragged away by Croagunk. Surprisingly, however, Misty and Max hadn't made an effort to move.

"Let's just let the frog take this one," They both said with bored expressions on their faces.

"Um, anyway," Jillian continued while sweat-dropping, "Let's get this contest started with the appeal rounds! First up is a new team of coordinators, Leaf Green and Orange Juice!"

* * *

><p>In the stands, our heroes all looked at one another in confusion.<p>

"His last name is 'Juice'?" They all thought out loud.

* * *

><p>The Kanto native dressed in green ran out onto the stage with the dapper Orange by her side.<p>

"It's time to shine, Ninetales!" Leaf called out as she tossed a Pokéball into the air. As her ball opened up, it shot out a blast of green confetti.

"Gliscor, out of the shadows!" Orange said while he held up his cane. The Pokéball on top of it opened up and released a burst of orange confetti.

As soon as the confetti hit the ground, the Fox Pokémon and the Fang Scorp Pokémon had fully appeared on the stage.

"Alright, Ninetales, start us off with Will-O-Wisp!" Leaf ordered.

"Tales!" Ninetales barked as its tails began to glow blue. It pointed its head up at the ceiling before opening its mouth and releasing a light blue fireball into the air.

"Gliscor, follow it up with an X-Scissor attack!" Orange commanded.

"Gliiii," Gliscor murmured as it flew high up into the air until it was right above Ninetales's attack which was continuing to fly upwards towards the Ground and Flying-type Pokémon.

Gliscor's claws began to glow light blue. It then swiped them out in front of it in an 'X'-like fashion, creating a glowing blue 'X'-shaped energy out in front of its body.

"Scor!" Gliscor grunted as it fired the energy 'X' down at Ninetales's Will-O-Wisp.

As the two attacks made contact, an explosion of light blue light occurred. It looked just like blue fireworks.

"Amazing!" Jillian commented ecstatically. "Gliscor's X-Scissor and Ninetales's Will-O-Wisp have combined and created a firework display! Not bad for first-time coordinators! What will they do next?"

"Ninetales, fire a Flame Burst into the air!" Leaf told her Pokémon.

The Fire-type nodded before it lifted its head up into the air and opened its mouth. It released a stream of fire up into the air. The flames then formed into a fireball that looked like it was about to burst.

"Gliscor, grab the fireball with Fire Fang!" Orange directed. "Then, fly up into the air using Giga Impact!"

Gliscor clicked its claws in acknowledgement before gliding over towards the hovering fireball.

"Gli-scor!" Gliscor yelled as it opened its mouth, which had now been covered in flames.

Once it had reached the fireball, it chomped down upon it and then made a quick ninety degree turn up into the air while ascending rapidly.

As it glided upward, its body became surrounded by yellow-orange streaks and a purple aura.

All of the sudden, the fireball burst and several streaks of flame came out of Gliscor's mouth. Surprisingly, however, the streaks caught onto the spinning of the streaks of Giga Impact and began to spin around the sphere of purple aura until Gliscor's entire body was surrounded by shimmering flames.

"Now, Gliscor!" Orange shouted. "Fall back!"

With great aerial maneuvering, Gliscor broke out of the fiery comet that it had created and descended back towards the ground just as the fusion of attacks exploded just below the ceiling. Amazingly, the explosion created a dragon made up of fire in the air. The dragon made a roar before dispersing completely into a rain of orange embers that fell down to the stage.

"Incredible!" Jillian said with eyes sparkling full of wonder and amazement. "Who would have thought that the combination of those three attacks could have created that spectacular appeal? Ladies and gentlemen, give them a hand!"

The audience immediately burst into cheers as the two trainers gave them a bow. Even Orange's Gengar appeared and gave them its best attempt at a bow.

"Gen-gar," Gengar grinned happily. It was almost like he thought that the crowd was cheering for him instead of the ones that had actually done the appeal. Sadly, it really did think that as the Ghost-type blew kisses to the crowd.

* * *

><p>"Can you believe that Gengar?" Max said with a chuckle. "He seriously thinks that the audience is cheering for him."<p>

"Just let him keep dreaming, Max," Vivi told him. "He'll figure it out eventually."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in the locker room, May and Dawn were both awe-struck by Orange and Leaf's appeal. Not only them, but just about every other coordinator in the room.<p>

"How did they do such an awesome appeal when they just decided to enter this morning?" Dawn thought out loud.

May shrugged. "At least they got a good score. Hopefully, they'll move on to the next round."

"I wouldn't get ahead of yourself, little May," Harley said behind her in a sing-song voice. "Who ever said that **you** were getting past the appeal round?"

"Oh, don't worry, Harley," May smiled. "Dawn and I will definitely make it to the second round."

"That's good," Harley sneered. "It wouldn't be as much fun knocking you out of the running for the Grand Festival if you didn't even make it past the appeal round."

"Speaking of appeals, we're up next, Harley," Ursula reminded him.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Harley giggled. "Let's go!"

At that, Harley skipped off towards the stage with Ursula, who was now red with embarrassment, following closely behind.

"Ugh, those two make me sick," Dawn grumbled. She crossed her arms grumpily. "I just wish that they would fall off a cliff."

"Don't worry about them, Dawn," May calmly told her. She glanced over her shoulder. "It's **them** we need to worry about."

Dawn looked over in the direction that May was looking in and saw Brendan and Winter standing there.

Brendan was wearing a black tuxedo with a white undershirt, a black bowtie, and black dress shoes. Winter was dressed up in a strapless, sleeveless red satin dress and a pair of red high-heels. Both of them looked really prepared for the contest.

"No need to worry, May," Dawn said reassuringly. "We'll beat them and you won't have to leave Ash."

"Dawn, whenever you say that, that's when I worry the most," May sighed. "But you're right. We can win this. Nobody's gonna make me leave Ash. Not even Harley."

"Speaking of Harley, looks like he and Ursula are about to start," Dawn noted.

At that, they both turned to the screen as they prepared to watch their rivals' appeal.

* * *

><p>"Up next, we have the team of Harley and Ursula!" Jillian announced as the two coordinators ran onto the stage.<p>

"Thank you!" Harley said while blowing kisses to the crowd. "I love you all!"

"Can we just get started already?" Ursula asked with a groan.

"Sure thing, darling!" Harley winked. "Now, Eelektrik, time to strut your stuff!"

He then threw a Pokéball into the air, and in a burst of white smoke, a blue-black eel-like creature with a beige underbelly appeared. It also had a round and toothy leech-like mouth with red lips and its eyes had small pupils with yellow circle patterning around them. Beige fins extended from above and below its head, its body was decorated with three yellow spots on the side, and its tail fin was fan-like and red.

* * *

><p>"Whoa, who's that Pokémon?" Misty asked. "Is it a Water-type?"<p>

"No, it's called an Eelektrik and it's an Electric-type," Cilan explained.

"Eelektrik?" Gavin repeated as he took out his Pokédex and scanned Harley's Pokémon.

"_Eelektrik, the EleFish Pok__é__mon. It captures its prey by wrapping its body around them and then paralyzes them with electricity from the spots on its sides. Afterwards, it will chomp down upon its prey._"

"Man, that's one creepy Pokémon," Iris commented.

"Yeah," Max nodded. "Perfect for Harley."

'_I wonder who Ursula will be using?_' Brock, who had just now returned, thought while stroking his chin.

* * *

><p>"Now, it's our turn! Garchomp, let's go!" Ursula shouted as she threw a Pokéball up into the air.<p>

In a burst of spiraling green flames, a dark blue dragon with a red underbelly that kind of resembled a mix between a jet plane and a hammerhead shark appeared onto the field. As it landed, it let out a loud roar.

* * *

><p>Back in the locker room, May was shocked at the sight of Ursula's Pokémon.<p>

"Ursula has a Garchomp?" May said in confusion.

Dawn nodded. "Her Gabite must have evolved. This isn't going to be easy."

* * *

><p>"Okay, Eelektrik, use Discharge!" Harley instructed.<p>

The yellow spots on Eelektrik's body began to light up in a yellow light. Then, its body became surrounded by yellow electricity as it fired several bolts of electricity up into the air.

"Garchomp, follow it up with Stone Edge!" Ursula shouted.

Garchomp grunted and two rings of glowing light blue rocks appeared. They then began to spin around its body. Soon enough, multiple gray rocks were launched up into the air.

When the rocks flew up and hit the electricity discharged by Eelektrik, they somehow seemed to absorb the energy and were now floating in the air with yellow electrical outlines.

"Eelektrik, fire your Acid Spray at those rocks!" Harley commanded.

"Eel-ek-trick!" Eelektrik gargled as its mouth filled up with a strange liquid. It then opened its mouth and fired a stream of sickly green acid at each of the electrically-charged rocks that were floating in the air.

As the acid hit the rocks, the poisonous liquid caused the rocks to explode into multiple skull-shaped shimmers of yellow-green light.

"Now, quickly, Garchomp!" Ursula yelled. "Use Flamethrower on the skulls!"

Garchomp quickly opened its mouth and fired a spiraling orange stream of fire from it at the skulls. As the skulls caught on fire, they connected until they amazingly formed a giant, flaming skull that blazed overhead and caused the audience to gape at it in awe.

"Wow, what a spectacular appeal!" Jillian said to the cheering crowd. "Though, it is to be expected from such experienced coordinators! Let's give them a hand!"

* * *

><p>The audience broke out into applause. Although, Ash and the others weren't so enthusiastic about it.<p>

"No doubt they'll be fierce competition for Dawn and May," Tracey said solemnly.

"Come on, May and Dawn!" Iris cheered loudly, catching the everyone else's attention. "You can beat that easily!"

"Way to show them your support," Cilan said while he sweat-dropped.

* * *

><p>"Alright!" Jillian announced enthusiastically. "Now, let's move on to two more very experienced coordinators! They are the Princesses of Hoenn and Sinnoh, May and Dawn!"<p>

The crowd cheered even louder than before as the two girls ran out onto the stage. It looked like their reputations preceded them in this case as everyone knew about these two talented coordinators.

"Time to get this show started!" May said with confidence as she pulled out her Pokéball. "Ledian, take the stage!"

She threw the device up into the air. The ball hung there for a moment and then opened up, releasing a burst of exploding orange spheres. As the explosions faded, everyone was amazed to see a large insect-like creature fly up into the air.

It resembled a large and mostly red ladybug with two black antennae on its head, a black neck, and a black spot on the center of its forehead. It had blue eyes that were both large and slanted. Its four arms were like black stalks with small white fists on the ends. Its feet were similar, but instead of white fists, they had large red feet at their ends. Its back was red with black spots and as it flew, the crowd could see that it had a single pair of clear wings and that the undersides of its wing covers were yellow.

"Led-ian!" The Five Star Pokémon said happily as it flew overhead. Now that May's Pokémon was out, it was time to see what Dawn had planned on using.

"Okay, Mawile! Spotlight!" Dawn exclaimed. She tossed a Pokéball into the air. When the ball was high enough, it opened up and released a barrage of pink petals that circled around the yellow and black Pokémon that appeared on the stage.

It was a short creature whose legs had yellow coverings that made it look like it was wearing a dress. Both its feet and arms were black. Strangely enough, it seemed to have two mouths. One was small and below its real face that had red eyes and drooping black extensions that were a lot like May's pigtails. The other was a large mouth that grew and extended out of the back of its head like a ponytail. It was black, had a yellow spot in the middle, and it was like a pair of jaws on a shark with a bunch of sharp teeth included.

"Ma-wile!" The Deceiver Pokémon smiled as the crowd cheered for it. It seemed to enjoy the attention that it was getting.

* * *

><p>"Wow, I've never seen May and Dawn use those Pokémon!" Misty commented. "This should be exciting!"<p>

"But, Misty, I thought that you were afraid of Bug Pokémon?" Gary noted.

"Only creepy ones," Misty told him. "I like Ledian just fine."

"You know, it makes me wonder," Ash said while tapping his finger to his chin. "What would happen if Misty had to deal with a Surskit, which is both a Water-type and a Bug-type Pokémon?"

Misty gapped at him speechlessly. "You're just kidding, right? Right? That's not really a Pokémon, is it? Ash? Don't look away from me when I'm talking to you! Answer me!"

The others all laughed as Misty angrily tried to reach for Ash, who had hidden behind Brock for safety.

"Ash, if she takes out her mallet, you're on your own," Brock told him quietly.

"Don't give her any ideas," Ash whispered back.

"Look! They're starting!" Iris pointed out, catching everyone's attention.

Misty refocused her attention on May and Dawn's appeal while Iris mouthed to Ash, "_You owe me big time for this, Ketchum!_"

* * *

><p>"Ledian, fly up into the air!" May commanded.<p>

Ledian did as its trainer told it and flew high up into the air above the stage.

"Mawile, fire a Solarbeam directly at Ledian!" Dawn ordered.

Mawile began to gather up energy into the yellow spot on its steel jaws. The spot soon shone brightly with a bright yellow glow. Mawile then opened up its jaws to reveal a yellow orb forming within the large mouth. Once the orb was complete, Mawile fired a yellow beam of solar energy from the orb up into the air. The crowd was shocked to see that the beam was moving quickly towards Ledian.

"Ledian! Break through it using Comet Punch!" May instructed.

"Le-di-an-an-an-an-an-an-an!" Ledian chanted as he flew towards the yellow energy beam and began punching it quickly and repeatedly. The punches were so fast and powerful that they were able to punch straight through the Solarbeam as Ledian trudged along. Once it reached Mawile, Ledian did a flip in the air and landed on the top of its jaws. It was there that the two Pokémon stood and waved at the crowd amidst a cloud of yellow sparkles.

"Now, Mawile! Throw Ledian up into the air!" Dawn told her Pokémon.

"Ma-wile!" Mawile grunted as it used its steel jaws to throw Ledian high up into the air. Once Ledian was close to the ceiling, it brought its wings back out and used them to hover there in the air.

"Ledian, use Bug Buzz on Mawile!" May shouted.

"Dian!" Ledian yelled. Its wings took on a red glow and it held its four hands up into the air. It began to release red sound waves into the air before pulling them together into a red energy orb. It then fired a red beam of light from the orb down at Mawile.

"Mawile, just stand there and use Iron Defense!" Dawn called out.

Mawile raised its steel jaws into the air and its body became outlined in a light blue glow. Then, a white shine went down its body, causing it to turn into glimmering iron. When the red beam finally hit it, it caused Mawile's body to shine in a bright red light with white sparkles.

The crowd was in awe, but the two coordinators weren't done yet.

"Ledian, use Swift!" May smiled.

Ledian lifted its head up and began to fire yellow stars from the black dot on its forehead. The stars spread out until they had formed a large circle in the air that went around the stage.

"It's time, Mawile! Use Solarbeam!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Maaaaa-wile!" Mawile cried out. It opened its steel jaws and fired an orange beam of energy caused by the mixture of the Solarbeam and Bug Buzz. Mawile spun around as it fired the energy beam until it had hit all of the stars from Ledian's Swift. Once they had all been hit by the orange beam, the stars burst and created a shower of orange sparkles all around the stage.

"Spectacular!" Jillian said into her microphone. "Once again, May and Dawn don't disappoint in their amazing appeals! Let's hear it for them and their Pokémon!"

* * *

><p>The crowd applauded loudly as the two Coordinators and their Pokémon waved. However, the loudest two of them all happened to be everyone's favorite pair of cousins.<p>

"Woo-hoo! Yeah! You show 'em, May!" Ash yelled.

"You're doing awesome, Dawn!" Gavin shouted. "Keep it up!"

Both of them were standing up in their seats and cheering. Neither of them seemed to realize that everyone was staring at them awkwardly.

"You'd think those two would know when to just sit there and clap," Gary sweat-dropped.

"What little kids," Iris sighed.

"How long do you think it will take for them to notice that everyone's staring at them?" Max asked.

"Who knows?" Misty groaned. "I just wish that they would stop."

"Maybe we shouldn't be too hard on them," Tracey twiddled his fingers nervously. "After all, isn't it nice if a guy does all that he can to cheer on the girl that he likes?"

"Not when it's as embarrassing as that," Misty stated.

Tracey sighed and sadly looked down at the ground. Gary patted him on the back and said, "Nice try, buddy. It'll be okay."

"Show them who's the princess around here, May!" Ash cheered.

"Those other coordinators can't compare to you, Dawn!" Gavin added.

"Pika," Pikachu face-palmed himself.

"Chu," Pichu said while mimicking his evolution.

"If anybody asks, we don't know them," Meowth whispered.

"Pi," Pikachu and Pichu agreed.

* * *

><p>As they walked back to the coordinators' locker room, even May and Dawn had to admit that they were a bit embarrassed by their boyfriends.<p>

"I really wish that they wouldn't get so excited by these things," Dawn sighed.

"Oh, come on, Dawn," May smiled while sweat-dropping, "it could be a lot worse."

"The only thing that would be worse is if the two of them dressed up like cheerleaders," Dawn simply stated with her arms crossed.

The two girls giggled a bit at the thought of Ash and Gavin dressed up like cheerleaders. They stopped, however, when they noticed Brendan and Winter walking down the hall towards them.

As the two pairs past one another, May and Brendan's eyes met. As sapphire blue stared into chocolate brown, the two relatives knew that they would be battling later in today's Contest. May couldn't explain it, but she just somehow knew.

Once their rivals were out of sight, May looked at Dawn and said, "Get ready, Dawn, because no matter what happens, I am not losing to him. Not now, not ever."

Dawn nodded. With that, the two coordinators continued on towards the locker room with a burning confidence within them.

* * *

><p>Later, after all of the other appeals were done, it was time to find out which four teams were going to continue on to the battle round.<p>

"And here we go!" Jillian said as the screen began flipping through the pictures of the coordinator teams. After cycling through them a few times, the eight picture slots finally stopped on the four teams.

"Yay!" Dawn said happily. "We're in!"

"So are we!" Leaf added.

The four teens all high-fived one another. Then, they noticed who else had made it.

"Well, looks like your cousin made it, May," Orange pointed out.

"Yeah, and so did Harley and Ursula," May grumbled in disgust. "Looks like we're going to have to pull out all of the stops if we want to win this Contest."

"And now," they heard Jillian continue, "let's find out who will be battling whom in the first two battles in the battle round!"

Once again, the pictures started flipping randomly until the landed in a sort of tourney chart on the screen where everyone could see the coordinating teams that had been matched up for the battle round.

"There you have it!" Jillian said to the crowd. "Our first match-up will be between the team of May and Dawn and the team of Harley and Ursula!"

"We're facing Harley," May grimaced.

"And Ursula," Dawn frowned.

"Which means that we're facing Brendan and Winter," Leaf finished.

Orange nodded. "Seems legit."

"Hang on!" Dawn's eyes suddenly widened with a spark of inspiration. "I just had an idea!"

She reached into her bag and pulled out a single Pokéball. She tossed it into the air, and in a flash of light, a round, green blob appearing and floated right in front of his master.

"So-lo-sis!" Solosis squeaked with excitement.

"Uh, Dawn, why did you bring out Solosis?" Leaf asked.

"Because I'm going to have him watch our Contest battles from in here so that I can maybe use him in the next contest!" Dawn smiled at Solosis. "Would you like that, Solosis?"

"So-lo!" Solosis nodded and began to fly around Dawn's head enthusiastically.

Dawn looked down at Piplup, who was standing by her feet, and said, "Piplup, I need you to watch Solosis and make sure that he doesn't run off again, okay?"

"Pi-plup!" Piplup saluted. He turned his gaze onto the green blob and began following Solosis everywhere like the Psychic-type was one of Dawn's homemade Poffins.

Dawn smiled at the two Pokémon and then turned back to her friends. "Well, that's settled. Leaf, could you watch them in here while May and I have our battle?"

"No problem," Leaf said giving Dawn a thumbs-up. "There won't be any problems from these two on my watch."

"Okay," May fist-pumped enthusiastically. "Let's go kick Harley and Ursula's butts."

* * *

><p>"Alright, everyone, let's get this battle round started!" Jillian said through her microphone. "Coordinators, send out your Pokémon!"<p>

As soon as she finished saying this, the two opposing coordinator teams pulled out their Pokéballs and threw them into air.

"Vaporeon, let's go!" Ursula yelled.

"Pachirisu, spotlight!" Dawn shouted.

"Ariados, it's time to strut your stuff!" Harley declared.

"Wartortle, take the stage!" May called out.

In a burst of four different seals, all four of the coordinators' chosen Pokémon appeared onto the Contest stage.

Standing in front of Ursula was what looked like a mix between a fox, a cat, and a mermaid. It was a quadruped with three small toes on each foot. Its body was light blue with a white ruff around its neck just behind its head. Its cream-colored ears were made of webbing and it had a fin on top of its head that resembled its ears. Pointed dark blue patterning outlined the fin and its ears and it had dark blue ridges that ran down its body and mermaid-like tail.

"Vapor!" It growled as it glared at Dawn's Pachirisu.

"Chi-pa!" Pachirisu squeaked back in anger.

"Oh, boy!" Ursula chuckled with glee. "I was hoping that I would get to take down that particular Pokémon of yours today, Deedee! It'll be payback for all of the times that it's beaten my precious Garchomp!"

"We'll see about that," Dawn smiled back. "Right, Pachirisu?"

"Chi-pa!" Pachirisu fist-pumped with great enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, there was a fiercer stare-down going on between May's Wartortle and the large opponent that stood in front of Harley. The Turtle Pokémon was currently glowering at a red spider-like creature with black stripes and an unhappy face on its abdomen. It had four yellow legs with purple stripes and two more legs on the top of its back. It also had a white horn and mandibles, as well as purple eyes with black pupils.

"Oh, my, does this take me back!" Harley laughed. "I remember that these two fought in a Contest battle before!"

"Yeah, and I remember that me and Wartortle won!" May smirked.

"Well, it won't happen again!" Harley sneered. "Get ready to pummel that turtle, Ariados!"

"Ari!" Ariados screeched.

"War-tortle!" Wartortle snarled while baring its fangs at the spider.

"Okay!" Jillian interrupted them. "Five minutes on the clock…and begin!"

"Wartortle, hit Vaporeon with a Rapid Spin attack!" May commanded.

Wartortle immediately leaped up into the air, pulled its head and all of its limbs into its shell, and began spinning like a disk at a high speed. It then started to shoot off straight towards Vaporeon like a rocket.

Ursula sneered. "You're seriously using that move? You're even worse than I thought! Vaporeon, use Water Pulse and follow it up with Acid Armor!"

Vaporeon's body took on a light blue glow with a blue outline. Then, just as Wartortle was coming towards it, a water tornado appeared around the Bubble Jet Pokémon's body and blocked it from sight.

Wartortle spun into the tornado with ease and broke out the other side just as easily. However, when the water tornado died down and turned into a mid-sized puddle, it and everyone else was shocked to see that Vaporeon had disappeared.

"War?" Wartortle grunted in confusion. It looked from side to side frantically as it tried to find its Water-type opponent, but all the while, it didn't even notice the large spider crawling down a fine line of silk connected to the ceiling towards it.

"Wartortle, look out!" May yelled.

"Too late, my little Mayday!" Harley covered his mouth while he giggled with glee. He then stood at attention, pointed directly at Wartortle, and called out, "Ariados, tangle up that little turtle with Spider Web!"

Ariados open its mouth and gave a screech as it fired cobwebs from its mouth at Wartortle. As the cobwebs barreled down towards Wartortle, they formed together into a large spider web and knocked Wartortle to the floor. The audience gasped when they saw the poor Water-type pinned down to the ground by a sticky web of spider silk.

"Wartortle, get out of there!" May cried out.

Wartortle struggled with all of its might, but it was no use. Neither its tail nor its fangs were enough to break free from the stickiness of the web. It was trapped.

"Pachirisu, go help it with Super Fang!" Dawn ordered.

Pachirisu's two front teeth took on a white glow before forming together into a larger, sharper, white spear of a tooth. The electric squirrel then proceeded to bound down the stage towards its partner.

"Not a chance," Ursula smirked. "Vaporeon, you can come out now. Use Shadow Ball!"

Suddenly, a form began to rise from the puddle left by Vaporeon's Water Pulse attack from earlier. May and Dawn finally realized that it had used Acid Armor to turn its body into water so that it could later take out Pachirisu when it tried to save Wartortle from Ariados's web.

Once Vaporeon's body had fully reformed from the puddle, the Bubble Jet Pokémon opened its mouth and fired a black and purple orb of shadowy energy at Pachirisu.

"Pachirisu, block it with Electro Ball!" Dawn told her Pokémon.

With amazingly quick reflexes, Pachirisu leapt up into a front flip through the air. Its body became outlined in a whitish-blue glow and it fired an orb of light blue electricity towards Vaporeon's attack. The two attacks collided and burst into an almost blinding explosion of bright white light.

"Huh," Ursula huffed in frustration. "I was sure that would've stopped Deedee's little squirrel in its tracks."

"Don't worry about it, my dear," Harley said with an eerie calmness about him. "We still have May's little Wartortle all tangled up."

"Not for long!" May grinned. "Wartortle, use Aqua Jet!"

Wartortle's body suddenly became surrounded by water and the threads of Ariados's web were broken like flimsy string. It then shot off into the air like a bottle rocket towards the still-hanging Ariados.

"Oh, no. We can't have that, can we?" Harley wagged his finger condescendingly. "Ariados, hit it with a Sucker Punch!"

Just as Wartortle was speeding towards it, Ariados disappeared without a trace before reappearing right in front of the Water-type. Before the startled turtle could do anything, Ariados punched it in the back with one of its legs and sent Wartortle crashing into the floor of the Contest stage.

"Pachirisu, hit that spider with Discharge!" Dawn commanded.

Pachirisu quickly began to charge up whitish-blue electricity into its cheeks as it prepared to fire a blast at the menacing arachnid.

"Not gonna happen," Ursula smirked. "Vaporeon, use Aurora Beam!"

Vaporeon opened its mouth and formed a bluish-green orb in front of it. It then launched a glowing green and black beam from the orb straight at Pachirisu, who was hit dead-center by the beam and knocked back several feet through the air until it landed on the ground in a heap.

"This is gonna be easier than I thought!" Ursula jittered with excitement.

Harley nodded in agreement and gave a grin that looked awfully like a certain deranged clown that was about to finally kill his black-cloaked adversary. "Victory is ours, Harley Qui-, I mean, Ursula!"

* * *

><p>After all of this time, none of the battling coordinators had even bothered to check the amount of points that was left for either side. However, the audience sure noticed.<p>

"Man, May and Dawn better think up something quick," Tracey muttered. "There's only three minutes left, and they're down to a quarter of the amount of their original points."

"I'm just wondering how Vaporeon was able to sneak up on Pachirisu like that," Vivi thought out loud.

"It must have been that Acid Armor attack that Ursula had it use," Gary concluded. "Vaporeon's composition is already close to the same molecular structure of water, so when it uses Acid Armor, it's able to melt down into water as long as there's a source of water nearby."

"Just like back in Kanto when I had my Corphish battle this old lady's Vaporeon on her lake," Ash remembered.

"So what you're saying is that when Vaporeon turns into water, there's no stopping it?" Misty asked.

"Not necessarily," Cilan interjected. "You see, even if it turns into water, it still has its weaknesses to Grass and Electric-type moves. If Dawn can get Pachirisu to fire an electrical attack at Vaporeon when it's in its water form, it'll get electrocuted."

"So they've just gotta work together if they want to win this," Brock concluded. "Otherwise, May's never gonna be able to face Brendan in the finals."

"You've got this, twerpettes!" Meowth cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted. "Take out these two amateurs once and for all!"

* * *

><p>Sweat ran down May's brow as she watched her Wartortle and Dawn's Pachirisu slowly get up from the ground in pain. With only three minutes left, they didn't have time to keep getting their butts kicked like they had been. Now, it was time to get serious.<p>

"Dawn, I've got an idea, but I'll need you and Pachirisu to be ready when it's time," May whispered to her blunette partner.

"Got it," Dawn nodded.

"Wartortle, use Aqua Tail on Vaporeon!" May yelled.

Wartortle's tail took on a light blue glow as the turtle jumped into the air and faced its tail towards its opponent. A stream of water suddenly appeared and began to spiral around its tail as it prepared to strike the Bubble Jet Pokémon.

"Aw, I love it when my opponent keeps trying even though they're just going to lose!" Ursula snickered. "Vaporeon, use Muddy Water!"

Vaporeon glared up at Wartortle as it released spiraling brown water from its body until the murky water surrounded it completely. Just as Wartortle struck the muddy water with its attack, there was a splash that blocked the two from view.

"Quick, Wartortle!" May snapped. "Use Rapid Spin and create a cyclone of water!"

The turtle immediately began spinning, causing the brownish-water created from the two previous attacks to turn into a raging tornado of water.

"No!" Ursula shrieked in shock.

"Vapor!" A watery cry could be heard as a glowing blue form of water was twirled around in the blend of water, mud, and essence of Vaporeon.

"Now, Pachirisu, use Discharge!" Dawn ordered.

"Chi-pa!" Pachirisu squealed as it fired multiple blue beams of electricity at the cyclone. As the attack hit the tornado of water, it lit up in a bright blue light and a scream could be heard as Vaporeon was electrocuted.

"Incredible!" Jillian remarked. "By using Rapid Spin to create a water tornado, Wartortle has completely prevented Vaporeon from reappearing in its physical form after it used Acid Armor to melt into the water again! Plus, Pachirisu has used Discharge to inflict a great deal of damage upon Vaporeon due to the conducting properties of water! What a spectacular display of teamwork from our two lovely coordinators!"

The crowd let out a loud cheer just as Harley and Ursula's points took a major hit and decreased until they were just above May and Dawn's number of points.

"Harley, don't just stand there!" Ursula snarled. "Do something before my poor Vaporeon is completely fried!"

"Right!" Harley nodded. "Ariados, wrap up that electric rat with String Shot!"

Ariados proceeded to fire a white string from its mouth directly at its Electric-type opponent.

"Not today, Harley!" Dawn smiled proudly. "Pachirisu, grab that string!"

"What?" Harley sputtered out in disbelief.

Just as the sticky silk string was about to hit it, Pachirisu sidestepped to the right and just narrowly avoided getting hit in the chest by it. Then, it bit down upon the string and took off running in a counterclockwise rotation around Ariados.

"Pachirisu, speed up with Quick Attack!" Dawn called out.

Pachirisu immediately picked up speed as it ran around Ariados with a silver-white streak following it. It ran so fast that it looked like it had created a silver ring of energy around Ariados.

A few seconds later, it came to an abrupt stop and turned to check its work. It had used Ariados's own silk against it and tied it up completely to where the spider was now nothing more than a struggling fly caught in Pachirisu's web.

"Pachirisu, why don't we keep the irony up with a little Super Fang action?" Dawn said to her Pokémon.

Pachirisu nodded excitedly, and with a flash of glowing white fangs, the little Electric-type bit Ariados in the back and caused it to screech in pain.

"Ooh," Jillian said with a bit of a shiver. "Looks like the tables have turned and now the fly is the one biting the spider! What quick thinking by Dawn and what great speed by Pachirisu!"

There was a great deal of applause from the audience as Harley and Ursula's points dived below May and Dawn's just as the timer hit zero. At the sound of the buzzer, Wartortle immediately stopped spinning and the cyclone dropped to the ground, allowing an extremely weak Vaporeon to reform at last.

"Time!" Jillian announced. "And the coordinators going on to the finals are May and Dawn!"

The crowd burst into cheers as May and Dawn hugged each other and their Pokémon. Meanwhile, on the other side of the stage, Harley and Ursula were close to foaming at the mouth in their combined frustration and hatred towards their rivals.

"How could they have defeated us?" Ursula asked no one in particular.

"Well, it certainly wasn't my fault, sister," Harley crossed his arms stubbornly.

"What?" Ursula screeched with fury. "Are you saying that this was **my** fault?"

"I'm not _saying_ it," Harley said while looking at his fingernails with a bored expression on his face. "I was merely _implying _that it was your fault we lost."

Ursula growled in anger before she jumped up and tackled Harley in her rage. At that, the two coordinators rolled around the Contest stage fighting until security managed to break it up and dragged them out of there.

May and Dawn couldn't help but laughing. It didn't last though. They still needed to beat Brendan and Winter before this was all over with. This Contest wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.

* * *

><p>Once the two coordinators found their way back to the locker room, they found both Orange and Leaf there waiting for them.<p>

"Nice work, you two!" Leaf smiled. "You really showed those jerks what for!"

"Gen-gar!" Gengar nodded eagerly while thrusting a fist up into the air.

"Thanks," May said appreciatively. "So I guess you two are up next?"

"Yeah, but don't worry," Orange grinned. "There's no way they can beat a gentleman like myself. Victory is in the bag."

* * *

><p>"Time! And the winners are Brendan and Winter!" Jillian said to the crowd.<p>

Orange and Leaf were shocked. While their point counter had been knocked all of the way down to zero, their opponents hadn't even lost a bit of theirs. It was unbelievable.

"Uh, what just happened?" Orange asked.

"The gentleman got his butt kicked," Leaf said with a sigh. "I thought that you said that 'victory was in the bag'?"

"I did," Orange answered. He crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling nervously. "It's just that it was their bag."

Both Leaf and Gengar face-palmed themselves in embarrassment and frustration. Meanwhile, Jillian continued speaking to the crowd.

"So it looks like Brendan and Winter will be facing off against May and Dawn in the final round!" Jillian said into her microphone. "And from what I've heard, May Maple and Brendan Withe are actually cousins! In other words, this promises to be an exciting match of relatives unlike any other!"

* * *

><p>"Well, this is it," Max gulped. "May and Brendan are finally going to face off. I really hope my sister can pull it off."<p>

"Don't worry, Max," Vivi said reassuringly. "She's got this. May's one of the toughest trainers I know."

"Huh?" Ash tilted his head in confusion. "What about me? I'm tough."

"Yeah, right," Iris snickered. "Even I'm tougher than you, kid."

"Um, Iris?" Ash said with an annoyed look on his face. "For one, stop calling me a little kid. I'm older than you, remember?"

"Only by a few months!" Iris protested.

"And second," Ash continued, ignoring Iris's frustrations, "Just because you get lucky catches all of the time, it does not make you tough."

"What lucky catches?" Iris growled. "Name one lucky catch that I've ever had!"

"Does a Dragonite that you caught just before the World Tournament Junior Cup ring a bell?"

…

"That was a low blow, Ketchum."

"Guys, cut it out," Gary groaned. "The rest of us would like to watch May and Dawn's match if you two don't mind."

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded in agreement.

Ash and Iris both bowed their heads in shame. "We're sorry."

* * *

><p>"Alright, everyone! This is the moment that you've been waiting for!" Jillian said with excitement. "The final battle of Yudon Town Contest!"<p>

There was large amount of cheers and applause from the audience as May and Dawn stood on the stage opposite of their opponents. One could tell that all four coordinators were ready to give this their all.

"Alright, finalists! Send out your Pokémon!" Jillian commanded.

Everyone's heads turned directly towards the stage. They were all wondering the same thing: what Pokémon were they going to use?

May took out her Pokéball and pushed a button on the front to enlarge it. "Alright, Skitty! Take the stage!"

She hurled the spherical device up into the air as hard as she could. Once it was high enough in the air, the ball opened and a beam of light surrounded by yellow stars was shot down at the stage.

After the light faded, there was a small pink cat-like creature standing on the stage. Looking at the cheering crowd, the cat smiled and let out a high-pitched, "Nyah!"

* * *

><p>"Hey, I don't remember May having Skitty with her earlier," Misty thought out loud.<p>

"She called Professor Oak to transfer it right before the Contest," Ash remembered.

"Not a bad idea," Brock remarked. "Skitty was May's third Pokémon. It's way stronger than it used to be."

"Go get 'em, Skitty!" Meowth said with hearts in his eyes. "There's no way they can compare to your beauty!"

Pichu and Pikachu both groaned in embarrassment.

At that same time, Gavin was musing over May's choice. "Interesting," he muttered. "I wonder what Pokémon Dawn's going to use."

* * *

><p>It was Dawn's turn. She pulled out her Pokéball and tossed it into the air while crying out, "Mamoswine! Spotlight!"<p>

As the ball opened, the Party Seal activated. In a burst of blue and white confetti, the Twin Tusk Pokémon appeared.

"Mamo," Mamoswine snorted. It was ready to stampede whatever opponents Brendan and Winter had in store for them.

The aforementioned coordinators looked at each other and smirked. Then, they both took out their Pokéballs and threw them out above the stage simultaneously. When the two devices opened up, there was a large explosion of orange flames, followed by a blinding white light.

Once May and Dawn were finally able to open their eyes again, they couldn't even believe them as they gazed upon their opponents' Pokémon.

Currently standing on the stage across from Mamoswine and Skitty were two particularly large and powerful-looking Pokémon. One looked like a muscle-bound boar with a beard made up of fire. The other was a green serpent creature with a leaf spring on the end of its tail.

"Are those Pokémon who I think they are?" Dawn asked.

May nodded and gave a gulp. "Yup. That's Emboar and Serperior."

As May confirmed, the two fully-evolved starter Pokémon from the Unova region were on the stage in front of them. How will they get out of this one? Can May win so that she doesn't have to leave Ash behind? Stay tuned…

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 51: "Contest Conclusion! The Fierce Moonlight of Hope!"<span>_ – The final battle of the Yudon Town Contest has begun, and May is up against her very own cousin. If she wins, she gets to stay with Ash, but can she pull out a victory against such powerful opponents as Serperior and Emboar with only a Skitty? Find out in the next installment of "Pokémon: League of Ultimates!"

**I hope you guys liked it! I wonder who will win...you'll have to wait and see! XD Read and Review!**

**By the way, there are absolutely no spots left for the upcoming tournament! I apologize if your OC was unable to make it in, but thanks for trying! I'll try to find a way to make it up to you all somehow...  
><strong>

**Alright, that's all I've got to say right now. I've gotta go to class, so I'll catch you guys later! See ya!  
><strong>


	51. Chapter 51

**Wazzup, everybody! Happy Day Before the End of the World! **

**XD I'm just messing with you all! I really don't think that it's the end of the world. Although, you never know since I finally managed to get over my Writer's Block and actually get this chapter done and posted the night before! I really do hope that it's not the end of the world yet. I'm still not even halfway done with this story yet! I need more time! Lol.**

**Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this chapter, I don't own Pokemon, etc. Sorry about the wait on this one! I'll try to get next chapter done faster this time!**

_Chapter 51: "Contest Conclusion! The Fierce Moonlight of Hope!"_

Last time on "Pokémon: League of Ultimates"…

_"This is Brendan Withe, my little cousin."_

"_May, I cannot allow you to continue dating this Kanto trainer anymore. You'll have to break up with him and come travel with me."_

"_You can't just tell me who I can and can't date!"_

"_The Maple family code states that if just one relative disapproves of another family member's significant other, that family member has to break up with that other and find someone else more suitable towards the family's needs."_

"_We're both going to be in today's contest, right? Well, if I manage to beat you and win the ribbon, then you have to approve of my relationship with Ash."_

"_Once you lose this contest, you'll have to break up with your little boy-toy Ashy and leave your friends to go and travel with your cousin. Not only will it break your spirits enough to keep you out of anymore contests, but it will also help a certain someone get his revenge on Ketchum."_

"_Welcome, everyone, to the official Yudon Town Pok__é__mon Contest!"_

"_Our first match-up will be between the team of May and Dawn and the team of Harley and Ursula!"_

"_Piplup, I need you to watch Solosis and make sure that he doesn't run off again, okay?"_

"_And the coordinators going on to the finals are May and Dawn!"_

"_Time! And the winners are Brendan and Winter!"_

"_So it looks like Brendan and Winter will be facing off against May and Dawn in the final round!"_

"_Alright, finalists! Send out your Pokémon!"_

"_Alright, Skitty! Take the stage!"_

"_Skitty was May's third Pokémon. It's way stronger than it used to be."_

"_Mamoswine! Spotlight!"_

"_Yup. That's Emboar and Serperior."_

_So, Harley really believes that he tricked me? I beg to differ. If he thinks he can try to hurt May and get away with it, he's got another thing coming. However, I can't tell May that I know what's going on. I have to make sure that she's worthy of the family name. So come on, May. Come and get me. Come and win._

* * *

><p>Everyone was shocked to see the two Pokémon that Brendan and Winter had sent out to face off against May's Skitty and Dawn's Mamoswine. The most shocked of them all were our heroes.<p>

"Those two have a Serperior and an Emboar?" Iris said in disbelief. "How is that even possible?"

"Gee, Iris, I don't know," Gary rolled his eyes and replied sarcastically. "I mean, they have two fully-evolved Unova Starter Pokémon and they're from Unova. It just doesn't make any sense."

"Gary!" Misty glared at him. She looked slightly annoyed at the brunette.

Gary gulped nervously and smiled apologetically before he said, "Sorry. Sarcasm's like a second language to me. Sometimes, it just comes out."

Brock looked over the four Pokémon on the Contest stage contemplatively. "Hmm. Serperior shouldn't be too much of a problem, but I'm worried about that Emboar. Both Skitty and Mamoswine are extremely weak against Fighting-type moves and neither of them have very many attacks that could do much against it. This is going to be a tough battle for those two."

Ash nodded and returned his gaze to May. '_You can do this, May,_' he thought. '_I know you can. I'll believe in you no matter what. That's a promise._'

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the locker room, two more of our heroes were a bit uneasy about May and Dawn's opponents.<p>

"Well, this can't be good," Orange said as he and Leaf got ready to watch the battle from the locker room.

At the moment, the two of them were the only ones still in there besides Gengar, Piplup, and Solosis. Sure, May, Dawn, Brendan, and Winter had left their bags in there as well, but other than that, the place was empty.

"Solo!" Solosis chimed as he flew around the room in a sort of hyper state. He was excited. He had never been in a Contest Hall before. There were so many new sights and sounds. He loved it.

"Plup," Piplup murmured nervously as he tried to keep his eye on Solosis and the T.V. as well. He knew that his trainer was in trouble, but he still had to fulfill his duties as babysitter and watch the little Psychic-type. Solosis had a tendency to wander off, and if he did it again this time, Piplup knew that Dawn would be really upset. He had to make sure that Solosis stayed safe. That little blob was his responsibility.

"A Serperior and an Emboar," Leaf said as she gawked at the two fully-evolved Unova starters being shown on the little T.V. "Two final-form starter Pokémon against Skitty and a Mamoswine. I think May and Dawn might be in some serious trouble."

"Don't worry about it," Orange said in a relaxed tone. "I'm sure that those two will pull it off. Just watch."

"Gen-gar," Gengar grinned as he floated beside his trainer.

Leaf nodded and returned her focus to the television set. Meanwhile, Solosis seemed to have found something in one of the bags that had been left there as he was squealing happily and flying around in circles over what looked like a sparkling black rock that was peeking out of the top.

* * *

><p>"Alright, then!" Jillian said to the crowd. "Five minutes on the clock! Let the battle begin!"<p>

As soon as she finished saying this, a five-minute counter appeared on the screen and immediately began counting down.

May pointed towards Serperior and shouted, "Skitty, use Assist!"

"Nyah," Skitty nodded. The little pink cat jumped into the air and held up its front paw. A white glowing orb appeared on it before Skitty brought the paw down and pointed it at the large serpent. Then, all of the sudden, a yellow bolt of electricity was shot out of the orb directly at Serperior.

* * *

><p>"Hey, that was a Thunderbolt!" Max exclaimed. "That must be from May's Ampharos!"<p>

"Too bad it won't do much damage to Serperior," Tracey said in disappointment. "Electric-type moves don't really affect Grass-types all that much."

"Let's just see what Brendan will have Serperior do," Misty told them as she watched the battle.

* * *

><p>"Serperior, deflect it with Safeguard!" Brendan ordered.<p>

Serperior gave its trainer a nod and then closed its eyes while slightly lowering its head. Its body began to glow brighter and brighter with green light until it finally unleashed the energy and used it to create a large green barrier around it. As the Thunderbolt hit the barrier, the bolt bounced off of the shield and harmlessly hit the ground in front of Serperior.

As the crowd watched on in awe, Brendan looked to Winter and asked, "Shall we respond to their attack?"

"But of course," Winter smiled. She then turned to the field before yelling, "Emboar, use Sunny Day!"

Emboar's hands became surrounded in a golden energy and it raised both of them into the air. From its hands, two golden beams were fired up and twisted around one another as they went towards the ceiling. Once they reached the ceiling, the two beams formed together into an orb of white light. Suddenly, the orb released a burst of multicolored light as it spread across the entire Contest Hall, inspiring a few "oohs" and "ahhs" here and there.

Even May and Dawn were awe-stricken by this dazzling move. Once the multicolored light faded, they noticed that the white orb was still floating just below the ceiling.

"Okay, Serperior, use Solarbeam on Mamoswine!" Brendan commanded.

Serperior smirked and then opened its mouth. From it, it fired a bright gold beam of solar energy at the Twin Tusk Pokémon.

"Mamoswine!" Dawn called out. "Block it with Ice Shard!"

"Skitty, help it out by pushing the shard with Blizzard!" May told her Pokémon.

"Mamo," Mamoswine grunted as it began to form a glowing light blue ball of ice in between the ends of its tusks. Then, once it was large enough, the mammoth fired it straight at Serperior's attack while growling, "Swine!"

"Nyah!" Skitty cried as it opened its mouth and released a powerful blizzard from it. The fierce icy wind came behind Mamoswine's attack, and as it hit it from behind, the Ice Shard was pushed by the blizzard into Serperior's Solarbeam attack.

As the two powerful attacks collided, there was an explosion that sent green and light blue sparks flying everywhere until they eventually dissipated.

Meanwhile, a tiny bit of points was taken off of each team's point counter. Even so, May and Dawn were currently behind Brendan and Winter due to points they lost from Safeguard and Sunny Day. May and Dawn still had three-fourths of their original amount of points left, but with four minutes left on the clock, they had to get back in the game somehow.

"Mamoswine, use AncientPower!" Dawn ordered her Pokémon.

Mamoswine's body glowed white and it created a see-through afterimage of itself. The afterimage spun around quickly until it was compacted into a silver ball of energy with a green core that sat in between the ends of its tusks. It then hurled the ball towards Emboar.

"Emboar, hit it up into the air with Arm Thrust!" Winter instructed.

Emboar snorted and pulled back one of its arms in preparation for the oncoming attack. Just as the orb was about to hit it, Emboar struck it with one of its arms up into the air.

"Now!" Winter continued. "Jump up into the air and send it back at Mamoswine with Hammer Arm!"

Emboar squatted down and bent its knees just before it leapt up into the air. Once it was right above the orb, the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon struck it with a glowing white arm and sent it flying right back towards Mamoswine.

"Mamoswine! Hit it back with Ice Fang!" Dawn said to her Pokémon.

Mamoswine's tusks took on a light blue glow before they grew larger and became covered in ice. Then, Mamoswine got ready to use its icy tusks to knock the silver orb back.

"Serperior! Use Leaf Storm on Mamoswine while it's distracted!" Brendan ordered.

The spring on the end of Serperior's tail flashed green and the large snake swung it in Mamoswine's direction. As the end of its tail pointed directly at the mammoth, a barrage of glowing green leaves was fired from it at Mamoswine.

Dawn gulped. "Um, May?"

"I've got it!" May smiled. "Skitty, use DoubleSlap!"

Skitty quickly ran towards the leaves, jumped up into the air, and then began slapping the leaves away with its tail. Skitty had just barely managed to slap away all of the leaves, but it was panting heavily after it landed back on the ground.

In the meantime, the silver orb finally came up to Mamoswine, and thanks to Skitty's help with blocking that Leaf Storm, Mamoswine was able to knock the orb back to Emboar with its icy tusks.

As the orb went back to her Emboar, Winter smirked. "Okay, Emboar, light your hands on fire using Fire Punch and then catch that attack!"

Emboar grunted and held its hands up to catch the orb. As it did, Emboar's hands lit up in red-yellow flames. Soon, it managed to catch the orb, which only pushed it back a couple of feet.

"Okay, Emboar, use Fling and throw the orb at Mamoswine!" Winter yelled.

With a mighty heave, Emboar threw the orb back at Mamoswine. Only this time, the flames from its Fire Punch had mixed in with it and now the orb looked like a meteor falling towards the planet.

"Mamoswine, use Hidden Power!" Dawn shouted.

Mamoswine's body became outlined in light green energy and then it fired several greenish-yellow orbs of energy at the silver orb. However, as the attacks collided, the fiery silver ball was easily able to break through the Hidden Power and kept on going until it ended up hitting Mamoswine and exploded. The explosion created a cloud of black smoke that covered the area.

Once the smoke finally cleared, Mamoswine was covered in bruises and looked like it could barely stand. Then, all of the sudden, Mamoswine's body took on a red glow and it screamed out in pain.

"Mamo!" Mamoswine roared.

"Mamoswine!" Dawn cried out in fear.

* * *

><p>As Mamoswine shrieked in pain, the group looked fearful at the GroundIce-type's predicament.

"What just happened?" Misty asked.

"It looks like that AncientPower attack mixed with Emboar's Fire Punch and Fling attacks was also able to burn Mamoswine," Gary stated. "This can't be good."

* * *

><p>Back in the locker room, Orange and Leaf were concerned as well.<p>

"From all of that damage, May and Dawn now only have half of their original points," Leaf said with fear in her eyes.

"At this rate, they're going to lose," Orange gulped. "If only there was a way that we could help them."

"Yeah," Leaf nodded. She was about to look back at the screen when she suddenly heard a high-pitched squealing and a few chirps of frustration behind them.

Leaf and Orange quickly turned around to see Solosis flying around with its eyes glowing light blue and a sparkling black rock floating just below it with a light blue outline. Running behind it was Piplup, who seemed to be yelling at it to stop.

"Solosis, put that down! That's not yours!" Leaf said as she started to walk over towards them. Right when she did, Solosis made a hard right and flew straight towards the door.

"Hey!" Leaf yelled. "Get back here!"

"Pi-plup!" Piplup shouted in agreement.

"Gengar, block the door before it gets out!" Orange commanded.

Solosis was only a few feet away from the door when the shiny Ghost-type came out of the ground and floated in front of the doorway.

"Gen-gar," Gengar said menacingly, trying to scare Solosis into running away from it.

However, instead of being scared, Solosis only squealed with happiness before it began to form a mass of thick light blue, blue, and purple energy out in front of it and then fired the orb at Gengar.

"Gar!" Gengar said in shock. If it didn't move out of the way fast, that Psychic-type attack was going to do a lot of damage to it. Immediately, he flew up and out of the way, effectively dodging the orb while unfortunately allowing Solosis to fly out the door with the rock.

"Solosis, come back!" Leaf said as she ran out the door.

"Plup!" Piplup called out as it tried to keep up with Leaf during the chase.

Meanwhile, when Orange got to the door, he glared at Gengar and said, "You were no help at all."

"Gen-gar," Gengar rubbed the back of its neck sheepishly.

Orange rolled his eyes. "Come on."

With that, the two of them went out the door and joined the chase as well.

* * *

><p>Back on the Contest stage, May was trembling with worry.<p>

'_Oh, no,_' she thought. '_Dawn's Mamoswine got burned and we only have two and a half minutes to win. Could this get any worse?_'

"Serperior, use Wrap on Mamoswine!" Brendan ordered.

Serperior nodded and began to slither towards the large mammoth.

"No!" May yelled. "Skitty, stop it with Blizzard!"

"Nyah!" Skitty mewed as it opened its mouth and fired a blizzard at Serperior.

"Oh, no, you don't," Winter smirked. "Emboar, use Flamethrower!"

Emboar snorted and jumped up into the air before releasing a stream of orange-yellow flames from its nose at Skitty's attack. The two attacks collided and exploded on contact.

With that explosion of attacks, Serperior had enough time to get over to Mamoswine and wrap its body tightly around the Twin Tusk Pokémon, who grunted in pain as it was hurt by the burn and Serperior's Wrap attack.

"Mamoswine, no!" Dawn shouted. She had a great look of fear and shock on her face as she watched her Pokémon suffer all of that pain.

May and Skitty watched on in shock, too. What they didn't notice was that a certain Fire-type had managed to sneak its way behind Skitty.

"Emboar, use Hammer Arm!" Winter instructed.

May heard her and snapped back to her senses. "Skitty, look out!"

Skitty turned around and screamed when it saw Emboar bringing a glowing white arm towards it. Skitty quickly jumped out of the way just before Emboar slammed its arm into the ground.

"Now hit it with a Focus Blast attack!" Winter continued.

"Skitty, use Assist!" May commanded.

Emboar put its arms in front of it and formed a light blue orb of energy in between them. It then raised its hands above its head and threw the orb at Skitty.

Skitty leapt up into the air and a white orb appeared around its front paw. From the orb came a barrage of pink petals that crashed into Emboar's attack and caused the orb to explode in mid-air.

"Skitty, use Blizzard!" May ordered.

"Emboar, use a Scald attack!" Winter told her Pokémon.

As Skitty fired a blizzard at it, Emboar released a stream of scalding hot water surrounded by steam at the cat's attack. As the two attacks of different temperatures hit one another, a great fog of steam was created that covered the entire field.

'_I can't see Skitty or Emboar!_' May thought. '_Where are they at?_'

It was silent for a moment, but then, the silence when May heard a loud, high-pitched shriek from the field. She knew that shriek. It was at that point that the mist cleared and May saw a shocking sight.

At that very moment, Winter's Emboar was standing in the middle of the field holding something up in the air. May didn't want to believe it, but that thing Emboar was holding was her very own Skitty, who was currently dangling by its tail as it wiggled around in an attempt to escape.

"Nyah! Nyah! Nyah!" Skitty screamed as it tried to get out of Emboar's grasp.

"Skitty!" May yelled.

The whole crowd gasped at the sight of the endangered cat.

"Okay, Emboar, it's time," Winter said with a smile. "Use Heat Crash!"

"No!" May shouted.

Emboar threw Skitty to the ground and then quickly jumped up high into the air while it crouched its body together. It stretched its limbs and an orb of dark red fire-like energy with yellow-orange flames around it appeared around its body. Emboar proceeded to move to the air over Skitty and faced downwards to fall. As it fell, it somersaulted around so that its rear was facing Skitty and then crashed down on top of it in a huge explosion of fire and black smoke.

"SKITTY!" May yelled at the top of her lungs. Tears were in her eyes as she heard her Pokémon scream even louder than before.

As the smoke cleared, everyone was terrified to see Emboar sitting on top of the tiny Skitty. Once Emboar got up and took a few steps away from it, May got a better look at her Pokémon. Skitty was still conscious, but just barely. One could tell that it had taken a lot of damage due to Emboar's attack.

At the same time, Brendan told Serperior to let go of Mamoswine. Once Serperior had released it, Mamoswine simply lay on the ground. Because of the Wrap-Burn combination, it had very little health left.

May just stood there in shock. It wasn't until Brendan spoke up that she snapped out of it.

"May, I'm sorry that it has to be this way, but you left me no choice," Brendan said with a serious look on his face. "If you surrender now, your Pokémon won't have to suffer anymore."

May stared blankly at her cousin for a moment. Then, she turned to the board. There were exactly two minutes left and they only had a sliver of their original amount of points. They were losing and she knew it.

She looked at Mamoswine and Skitty. Both looked extremely hurt and weakened. Even with two minutes left, could they really win with their Pokémon in the condition they were in right now? Was this battle even worth it if they were just going to lose anyway?

"May, it's okay!"

Everyone including May turned and they were all shocked to see a raven-haired teen with a yellow mouse on his shoulder leaning over the edge of the railing with a sad smile on his face.

"May, it's not worth it to keep battling just because of me," Ash continued. "I don't want to see you or your Pokémon hurt anymore. If you just give up, you'll still be able pursue your dream of being Top Coordinator. Even if we have to break up and go our separate ways, I want you to keep competing in Contests. Your happiness and dreams are way more important than me."

Ash turned and was about to walk back to his seat when he suddenly heard a girl yell at the top of her lungs, "ASH KETCHUM, YOU IDIOT!"

Ash whipped around to see May glaring at him. She looked extremely angry and there were tears flowing from her eyes.

"No matter how much I've accomplished on my journey to become Top Coordinator, I couldn't have done any of it without you!" May continued while still crying. "You were the one that taught me to love Pokémon and Contests! Without you, I would never have even caught a single Pokémon!"

"May…," Ash muttered. He had a surprised look on his face.

"Ash, you've been with me from the beginning and I will not give up just because of some silly dream! I love Contests, but I love you more!" May shouted.

She then turned and looked directly at her cousin. Brendan looked just as shocked as Ash as May's shimmering sapphire blue eyes stared into his. That shock continued on to Winter, Emboar, and Serperior when they saw both Skitty and Mamoswine stand back up.

Standing beside her, Dawn had a smile on her face as she looked on at her friend's newfound confidence.

"And because of that love, I WILL NOT LOSE!" May yelled.

"Nyah!" Skitty mewed in agreement.

Then, all of the sudden, everyone heard a high-pitched squealing coming from the tunnel that lead from the locker room to the stage. They were all surprised when a small green blob flying around with a rock floating by its side.

"Solosis?" Dawn exclaimed.

"So-lo!" Solosis said happily as it flew above the Contest stage with its rock. Then, everyone noticed two figures and two Pokémon chasing after it.

"Plup!" Piplup chirped.

"Piplup? Leaf? Orange? Gengar?" Dawn and May said in confusion.

"We're sorry!" Leaf called out apologetically. "Solosis found that stone in a backpack and took off with it!"

"Yeah!" Orange nodded. "We tried to catch it, but it got away from us!"

Solosis then flew above Skitty before dropping its rock in front of it. It then flew off, leaving Skitty to stare at the rock. May noticed that it was sparkling and a blackish-blue.

"Hey!" Winter yelled. "That's my Moon Stone!"

"Moon Stone?" May and Dawn said in unison.

"Nyah!" Skitty mewed happily as it jumped playfully on top of it. Then, when it touched it, the rock dissolved and Skitty's body started to glow in a bright blue light. Everyone in the room gasped.

"Whoa," Ash said in awe as he watched the occurrence going on. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Pika," Pikachu stared at Skitty's glowing body.

"I can't believe it," Dawn said with disbelief. "It's evolving!"

"Skitty?" May muttered.

As it glowed and swirls of white light began to circle around it, the small pink cat's body started changing. Its once stumpy legs and small body lengthened, growing longer and bigger. It grew a neck and sides of its face grew more pointed. Its ears grew bigger and went up higher on its head. Some sort of collar appeared around its neck and its tail grew longer, the end changing shape.

Then, once it stopped glowing, May noticed that most of the fur on its body was now a tannish-yellow. The sides of its head had pointed, whisker-like protrusions. It had purple ears with three tufts of fur at the tips and a purple ruff-like collar with spherical extensions around its neck. It had a purple flower-like tuft of hair on the end of its tail and it now had a slightly bigger nose and its eyes were now open.

"Reow," the larger and beautiful cat-like creature that stood in Skitty's place meowed.

* * *

><p>"Whoa! Skitty evolved!" Max said in awe.<p>

"But who's that Pokémon?" Vivi asked.

Gavin pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the newly-evolved Pokémon.

"_Delcatty, the Prim Pokémon and the evolved-form of Skitty. It is highly popular among female Trainers for its sublime fur. It does not have a nest because it is always searching for a clean, comfortable place to sleep._"

* * *

><p>May looked at her Pokédex at Delcatty's move-set. "Wow! Delcatty's learned a bunch of new moves!" She then looked over at her Pokémon and said, "Let's get back in this thing!"<p>

"Reow," Delcatty nodded eagerly.

"Okay, Delcatty, use Heal Bell!" May commanded.

"Reooooooooow," Delcatty sang. Its body took on a blue-green glow and then blue-green waves came off its body and spread all across the Contest Hall.

Soon, the waves even hit Mamoswine and its body took on a sparkling, blue glow. As the glow faded, Mamoswine's eyes widened and its bruises were gone. It looked much healthier than before.

"Hey, Mamoswine's Burn is gone!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Yup," May grinned. "Now, let's do this!"

"But we've got less than two minutes left!" Dawn protested. "How can we win with so little time left?"

"We'll do it together," May smiled. "Time for 'Operation: Icy Treat'!"

"Okay," Dawn nodded. She then turned to Mamoswine and called out, "Mamoswine, you know what to do!"

Mamoswine grunted and began forming an Ice Shard in between the ends of its tusks. It kept getting bigger and bigger until Mamoswine suddenly chomped down upon it and ate the icy orb.

Their opponents were in shock. "Did he just eat that Ice Shard?" Brendan asked.

"Uh-huh," Dawn smirked. "Ice Armor, go!"

Immediately after she finished saying this, the fur on its back spiked up and froze over until its back was covered in ice spikes.

"Mamo," Mamoswine snorted as it glared menacingly at Emboar and Serperior.

"Don't tell me that he's going to ram us!" Winter said in disbelief.

"No way is that happening!" Brendan shouted. "Serperior, use Dragon Tail!

Serperior started to quickly slither towards Mamoswine before springing up into the air. Its tail had begun to glow light blue and it was starting to somersault towards Mamoswine.

"Delcatty, block it with Iron Tail!" May ordered.

Delcatty sprinted down the field way faster than it ever had as a Skitty before jumping at Serperior. Its tail took on a metallic glow as it somersaulted at Serperior.

The two Pokémon's tails met in mid-air and sparks flew as they pushed against one another. Eventually, the force building up between them was too much and they were blasted apart. While Delcatty managed to backflip and land on all fours with ease, Serperior crashed into the ground in a heap.

"Emboar, use Flame Charge!" Winter told her Pokémon.

Emboar began stomping on the ground over and over again, one foot after the other, until a cloud of dust kicked up and covered its body. Its body then became surrounded by red-yellow flames and it jumped towards Mamoswine as it flew up into the air.

"Delcatty, use Thunderbolt!" May directed.

Delcatty crouched down and its body became surrounded by yellow sparks. It then released a powerful bolt of lightning from its body into the air that came down and struck Emboar in mid-flight.

"Boar!" Emboar cried out in pain as it got caught up in an explosion of black smoke caused by the collision of the two attacks.

May and Delcatty grinned. Both Serperior and Emboar looked like they had taken a pretty good amount of damage. Plus, Brendan and Winter's score was now down to half with one minute to spare. They could do this.

"Alright, Delcatty, onto Mamoswine's back!" May instructed.

With a graceful backflip, Delcatty jumped and landed on the top of a ice spike that protruded from the front of the top of Mamoswine's head.

"Now, charge!" Dawn yelled in excitement.

"Mamo!" Mamoswine roared as it began stampeding towards Serperior and Emboar with Delcatty on its back.

"Mamoswine, use Ice Fang!" Dawn shouted.

"And Delcatty, use another Thunderbolt!" May added.

"Then, wrap it up with Take Down!" Dawn finished.

As it continued charging, Mamoswine's tusks flashed blue and grew larger while becoming covered in ice. Meanwhile, Delcatty released a burst of yellow electricity that flowed over Mamoswine's body. Due to it being a Ground-type, Mamoswine wasn't hurt, but the electricity caused the ice on its body to glow with golden light. Then, Mamoswine's body became surrounded by a bronze-colored energy and a golden forcefield appeared in front of it that mixed with the golden-glowing ice to make it look like it was a golden comet that was speeding towards Serperior and Emboar.

"Perior!" Serperior hissed in shock.

"Boar!" Emboar grunted with surprise.

"No way," Brendan said in an awe-stricken state.

Finally, as the two Pokémon reached their opponents, there was a crash and then a huge explosion that caused black smoke to cover the field. It was at that moment that the timer hit zero and the buzzer went off.

"Time!" Jillian announced. "And the winner is…"

The crowd was on the edge of their seats. The screen was currently blocked by black smoke, but once it faded, everyone gasped.

The scores were so close as May and Dawn lowered Brendan and Winter's score significantly during that last ditch effort, but unfortunately, Brendan and Winter's score was just slightly higher than theirs.

"It's Brendan and Winter!" Jillian said into her microphone. "They have won the Yudon Town Contest!"

* * *

><p>The crowd began to clap and applaud the winners, but our heroes just sat there, not believing this turn of events.<p>

"No," Max said in disbelief. "It's just not possible."

"I can't believe it," Vivi said, tears started building up in her eyes. "May and Dawn were supposed to win, not those two!"

"Now May will have to leave Ash," Iris said sadly.

"Unfortunately, that's true," Brock sighed.

"Poor May and Ash," Misty softly breathed.

"I wish that I didn't have to say this, but it's breakup time," Cilan said while staring at the ground in sadness.

Gary and Tracey just stayed silent as they stared at the field sadly.

"Waaaaaaaaah!" Meowth hysterically cried out as tears flooded from his eyes. "Now, I'll never get to be with May's Delcatty!"

"Chu," Pichu said, patting Meowth's back sympathetically.

While the others cried, Gavin stared suspiciously at Brendan, who he noticed had a smile on his face.

'_So that's why he did this_,' Gavin thought. '_Now, I get it_.'

* * *

><p>As all of this was going on, Leaf, Orange, Dawn, and the Pokémon all ran to May's sides. At the moment, the brunette was staring at the floor.<p>

"After all that, I still lost," she said under her breath. "I can't believe that I lost."

"May, that was brilliant!" she suddenly heard a familiar voice call out. She turned and was surprised to see Ash jumping over the railing with Pikachu in tow. The two of them ran up to her with big smiles on their faces.

"That was an amazing comeback!" Ash grinned. "You four were all amazing! Especially you and Delcatty!"

"Reow," Delcatty purred with approval.

"But I lost," May said in confusion. "Now, we have to break up and I have to leave you forever."

Ash's smile faded and he looked down at the ground. "Oh, yeah."

"Chu," Pikachu said sadly.

Ash was silent for a moment before he shook his head and looked back up at May. He had a serious look on his face.

"I don't care what your cousin or that stupid family code of yours says!" he stated. "I'm not letting you get away from me! Even if I have to fight your cousin to prove it! I'm not gonna ever let you go! I promise!"

"Oh, Ash," May said, her cheeks flaring up and her heart beating so much that she could feel it thumping in her chest. She then embraced Ash in a hug that surprised him for a moment, but then he smiled softly and hugged her back.

Then, all of the sudden, they all heard a clapping sound close by. They turned and were shocked to see Brendan and Winter standing there with their Pokémon by their side. Both were smiling and Brendan was clapping.

"Congratulations, May," Brendan said while still smiling. "You passed the test."

"Huh?" Dawn said in confusion. "What test?"

"Well, you see," Winter began, "when we got that call back in Unova, we were a bit suspicious. It seemed kind of odd that someone would just happen to call us about you and Ash and know about your family's code."

"So, we decided to come here and challenge you to that bet from earlier," Brendan finished. "At the same time, we did some investigation and found out that Harley had been the one to call us to try and get rid of you. Since our suspicions were confirmed, we knew that you would end up trying your hardest to win for the sake of your love. You passed and are now allowed to stay with Ash."

"What about the Maple family code?" May asked. "Doesn't it say that I can't be with someone that a single member of my family doesn't approve of?"

"Who says that I don't approve of Ash?" Brendan inquired with a grin. "Your mom and dad told my parents and me all about him over the phone and from the moment I ran into you and him, I knew that he was the right guy for you that would look out for your happiness no matter what. So in turn, you two can stay together."

"Hooray!" May said happily as she put her arms around Ash's neck and pulled him into a kiss. Ash returned the affection and put his arms around her waist.

"Awww," Dawn, Leaf, and Winter all said in unison.

"Gen-gaaaar!" Gengar said, humorously crying as tears sprayed from his eyes.

Orange smiled. "Well, at least things are back to normal."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, while all of this was going on, a shadowy figure was watching the events occurring. On his shoulder sat a pink blob with a dark blue hat on its head.<p>

"So those are the people that Crystalline told us about," he said with a grin. "I guess since their cat's out of the bag, I should soon let mine out!"

The pink blob nodded and said, "Mime-mime!"

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em><span>Chapter 52: "Catch That Clown! Friends Captured and the Return of an Old Friend!"<span>_ – After saying good-bye to Brendan, Orange, Winter, and Gengar, our heroes get ready to leave Yudon Town for Elza City, the site of Ash's fifth Gym battle. However, before they can even get out of there, a strange clown pops in and steals something from each one of them. The only way for them to get their stuff back is to catch him! But what happens when almost all of our heroes are captured and Gavin must find them with the help of an old ally? Find out next time in Pokémon: League of Ultimates!

**So once again, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter and I'm sorry about the long wait for this one. Ever since I got out on Winter Break, I've had this killer Writer's Block and I've just been so busy. I mean, I've still gotta go Christmas shopping DX **

**Well, hopefully the jerk that is Writer's Block will let me get at least one or two more chapters done before the end of Winter Break. But just in case I'm not able to finish another update before the end of the year (or if tomorrow really is the end of the world XD), I wish you all a Merry Christmas, a Happy Kwanzaa, a Happy Hanukkah, or whatever you all celebrate. How about I just say Happy Holidays! Oh, and a Happy New Year as well! See ya all later!  
><strong>


	52. Chapter 52

**Hey, guys! I'm back! I'm really sorry about the extremely long wait, but I'll explain my long absence at the end of the chapter. Until then, I hope you enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its characters. I own Gavin and the Amaro Region for the most part, but that's it. **

_Chapter 52: "Catch That Clown! Friends Captured and the Return of an Old Friend!"_

"You cannot be serious," Gavin said as he looked at the screen of his Pokédex. His eyes were wide with shock, his jaw was dropped, and he had developed a bit of a twitch in his arm. He was in a complete state of utter shock as he stood by himself up against a tree in the Yudon Town Park close to its Pokémon Center. It was morning and Gavin had come out by himself after he had gotten a message from the International Police that he needed to call them quick. Pichu was with him, but the mouse was currently chowing down on an Oran Berry at his trainer's feet. Meanwhile, Gavin just stood staring at the person whose face was on his Pokédex screen with shock. "I really hope that you're joking, Looker."

The black-haired officer of the International Police just chuckled at Gavin's current expression. "You seem a bit surprised, Gavin," Looker's voice said through the speakers of the Pokédex. "Aren't you glad that one of our agents is coming by for a visit?"

"Not really," Gavin grumbled. "Looker, I'm supposed to be leaving pretty soon with Ash and the others to head onto wherever Ash's next gym battle is. Plus, I'm supposed to be undercover, so why does one of the agents have to come visit me?"

"Well, we have some more information for you on the details about Team Umbra's current whereabouts, but we can't send it digitally because the message might get intercepted by Team Umbra or even Team Rocket," Looker explained. "Most of our other field agents were busy, so we had to promote one of our Intel guys to a field agent and send him to you. He should be there sometime in the next thirty minutes."

Gavin sighed. "All right," he finally responded. "Gavin out."

The teen ended the call and stared off at a nearby tree with an expressionless look on his face. His hands were clenched and shaking, his eyebrows were furrowed, and his teeth were gritted. He was not happy about this one bit. '_Why did they have to send a field agent here_ _today of all days_?' he thought angrily, shaking his fist more vigorously. It continued shaking for a few seconds before it stopped as Gavin finally relaxed, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself down before he did something that he might regret.

"Well, at least things couldn't get any worse," Gavin said, to which Pichu gave a nod while finishing his Oran Berry.

Gavin would have been right if he had seen the mysterious person walking near his location towards the Pokémon Center. Then, maybe he would have stopped the upcoming events that were about to unfold. Unfortunately, he didn't see the person, and a terrible series of events were set in motion. Today was definitely going to get much worse. Much worse, indeed.

* * *

><p><em>'Po-ké-mon!<em>'

(Spanish guitar and a few other instruments begin playing as the Pokémon logo appears in front of the night sky full of stars, including a few shooting stars that streak through the sky behind it. We see the moon and then the logo fades away as the camera pans down towards a grassy field where winds are blowing and Gavin is walking through the field. His hair is blowing in the wind, his face is emotionless, and Pichu is sitting on his shoulder with a similar expression on his face)

'_Many secrets I have held,_'

(Camera does a close-up on Gavin and Pichu's faces)

'_Many friends I have lied to!_'

(Ghost-like images of Ash and Dawn circle around his and Pichu's heads before fading away)

'_Now I'm afraid the time has come,_'

(A bright white glow appears and Gavin stares up at the sky)

'_The time for my secrets to come to light!_'

(Camera appears behind Gavin and Pichu as the two stare at a bright white light where Arceus stands, gazing at the two. Scene shifts to a stadium setting where Ash is seen battling with his Charizard against Nebula and his Tyranitar while Pikachu sits on Ash's shoulder, May stands by his side with Glaceon, and Ash's hat is turned backwards)

'_Will they forgive me_?'

(Charizard and Tyranitar fire a Blast Burn and a Hyper Beam respectively at one another. An explosion occurs and the scene shifts to Leaf battling Eclipse and her Liepard with her Venusaur)

'_Will they forget all my past crimes_?'

(Venusaur uses Frenzy Plant against Liepard, who jumps and dodges the attack while Eclipse sneers and Leaf grimaces)

'_Do I even deserve it_?'

(Scene shifts to Gary battling with Blastoise against a man wearing an iron helmet whose commanding a Honchkrow)

'_All this forgiveness that I crave_?'

(Gary points towards the screen and Blastoise fires a Hydro Cannon at it, turning the screen blue before the camera moves out of the blue that has become Dawn's eye)

'_I know you might be scared of the darkness of my past!'_

(Dawn is standing in a field of flowers while wistfully staring at a white flower that she's holding with tears in her eyes. Image appears behind Dawn of Jeremiah and Damien Black glaring at one another with Darkrai floating behind Damien)

'_I'm even more afraid of what you might think of me!_'

(Scene shifts to Ash standing in that same flower field with Pikachu on his shoulder and Meowth by his side. Image appears behind him of Jessie, James, Pierce, Crystalline, and Giovanni)

'_But I know now that I'm ready to reveal what I hid from you,_'

(Scene returns to a side-view of Gavin and Pichu standing in front of Arceus and the light)

'_And step directly in the light._'

(Gavin takes a step and the scene pauses on an image of a back-view of Gavin stepping towards the light)

'_Po-ké-mon!_'

(Pokémon logo with the words "League of Ultimates" appears again in front of a white background)

* * *

><p>It was yet another beautiful day in the Amaro Region. The sun was shining its bright yellow rays all around. The air was nice and cool. The sky was full of big, white, fluffy clouds. As well, Ash was training with his Pokémon on the Yudon Town Pokémon Center's special backyard battlefield.<p>

"Pupitar, get ready to use Stone Edge!" Ash shouted with a grin.

"Pu-pitar!" Ash's Pupitar said as his body began to glow a bright white glow. The white glow soon came off of his body and formed two rings of white pointed energy orbs that began to orbit around him. The white light then faded around the orbs and they formed into multiple gray rocks.

As Ash and Pupitar stood together on one side of the field, Lucario stood on the other side while the three of them were watched by Pikachu, Charizard, Pidgeot, Meowth, and Gengar. Also, Iris, Cilan, Leaf, Max, and Vivi sat at a picnic table nearby to watch Ash and his Pokémon's training. After May and Dawn's close loss in yesterday's Contest, Ash and the group were going to leave Yudon Town that morning and head out to wherever the Amaro road would take them to next. However, since there were some people in their group that were still getting ready to go, Ash decided that training would help pass the time until they could all finally get on their way.

The gray rocks continued rotating around Pupitar's body as he prepared to fire upon the blue and black jackal-like Pokémon that was standing on the side of the dirt field opposite of Pupitar. Lucario was staring at Ash blankly. "_What do you want me to do, Master_?" he asked Ash telepathically.

"Just block it somehow," Ash told him. "If we're going to be ready for the other Amaro League Gyms, we have to practice as much as we can."

"_Got it, Master_," Lucario nodded.

"And quit calling me 'Master'!" Ash added.

"_Yes, Master,_" Lucario said before looking back at Pupitar. The Aura Pokémon then put his paws together before spreading them apart. As he spread them apart, he created a light green bone staff made of pure energy. "_I'm ready,_" he said with a fierce look in his red eyes.

"Okay," Ash smiled. He then looked down at Pupitar and said, "You may fire when ready, Pupitar."

"Tar," Pupitar grunted. He spun his body around rapidly and then began firing the rocks one after the other towards Lucario.

Lucario closed his eyes and waited as the rocks flew at him. They were coming closer and closer until they were just a few feet away. Lucario finally opened his eyes and grinned. As the first rock came close to him, Lucario swung his staff to the left and knocked the rock away. He then quickly turned and swung his staff to the right, sending the rock flying to the side until it crashed into the ground. After dealing with the first two rocks, Lucario began spinning the staff rapidly in front of his body. The spinning staff caused the rest of the rocks that were fired at him to rebound off of the makeshift shield and fall randomly to various spots on the field. Once Lucario had managed to block all of the rocks, he stopped spinning his staff. He then put his paws back together, causing the staff to fade away completely. After doing this, Lucario looked upon the field. The battlefield was now littered with rocks that were either sticking up out of the dirt or simply laying on the field.

"Nice work, Lucario!" Ash said, giving Lucario a thumbs-up.

"_Thank you, Master_," Lucario answered.

"I thought I told you quit calling me that!" Ash said with an irritated look on his face.

"_Sorry, Master_," Lucario replied, causing Ash to face-palm himself and let out a sigh of exasperation. At this, the other humans and Pokémon all laughed at Ash's misfortune.

"That never gets old," Iris said as she wiped a tear from her eye while trying to hold in another fit of giggles.

"Yeah," Leaf nodded with a smile. "So how long until we start heading out?"

"Ash said that we'll leave once everyone is ready to go," Vivi told her. "So it could be a while, especially with May and Dawn packing up all of their Contest outfits."

"Ugh," Max groaned. "It's going to be at least a month before we get out of Yudon Town if we're waiting on my sister to pack up her clothes."

"Pika," Pikachu sighed in agreement.

"You said it," Meowth moaned. The Scratch Cat Pokémon decided to lie back on the soft grass and take a nap while they waited. Back on the battlefield, Ash was getting ready to continue Pupitar and Lucario's training.

"Okay, Pupitar, are you ready to try another attack?" Ash asked.

"Tar!" Pupitar grunted with an intense look in his eyes. Suddenly, a white orb of energy with a pale pink center formed in front of his body. Then, to Ash and everyone else's shock, Pupitar fired a pale pink beam of energy with a bright white energy around it from the orb at Lucario.

Lucario was surprised by this attack. Luckily, he snapped out of his shock just in time to where he was just able to narrowly jump out of the way as the intense energy beam flew past him. The beam kept going until it hit a nearby tree, causing an explosion that knocked the tree over. The tree landed with a loud _THUD_!

Ash and the others all stared at the fallen tree in shock for a few moments. Cilan then broke the silence by saying, "Um, Ash? Was that a…a…Hyper Beam?"

"I think so," Ash muttered. He looked down at Pupitar. "Pupitar, did you just learn how to use Hyper Beam?"

"Tar!" Pupitar said proudly.

"Hang on," Vivi interjected. She looked confused. "I thought that only fully-evolved Pokémon could learn Hyper Beam."

"That's not completely true," Cilan said all-knowingly. "You see, there are several Pokémon families where all of the members in their family can learn Hyper Beam. Pupitar's evolution family is one of them."

"The same goes for the Dragonite family," Iris added with an excited smile on her face. "Dratini, Dragonair, and Dragonite can all learn Hyper Beam."

"But still," Leaf said curiously, "I wonder why Pupitar was able to learn Hyper Beam right now?"

Ash shrugged. "It doesn't really matter. What really matters is how awesome that attack was! Pupitar, do you think that you could try using that attack again?"

"Tar," Pupitar said. Looking back at the field, the Hard Shell Pokémon once again began to focus his energy until he was able to once again form the pale pink orb that was surrounded by white energy in front of his body. Pupitar continued focusing on forming the pink and white orb until it suddenly exploded, knocking everyone off of their feet and shrouding Pupitar's body in a cloud of black smoke. A few seconds later, after they started to recover from the shock of the explosion, Ash and the others all began to get back up on their feet.

"Wow," Leaf said as she rubbed her head. "Never seen a Hyper Beam do that."

"Indeed," Cilan nodded while brushing the dirt off of him. "Such an explosive flavor."

"My aching head," Max groaned. He was currently holding both sides of his head with his hands as his thumped in pain.

"Remind me never to watch Ash and his Pokémon train again," Vivi said as she sat up next to Max.

"Same here," Iris moaned while she struggled to pull herself off of the ground.

"Did someone get the license number of that truck that just hit me?" Meowth asked with a dazed look on his face. Even though he had already been lying on the ground when the explosion had occurred, he had been sent flying back a few feet due to the force of the explosion.

"Pika," Pikachu managed to get out as he lay on the ground with swirls in his eyes.

After Ash got up, he looked over at the cloud of smoke. His eyes widened with fear. "Pupitar!"

At that point, the smoke finally faded and Ash was shocked to see Pupitar lying on the ground. His body was covered in scuff marks and he had swirls in his eyes. Ash quickly ran over to his Pokémon with the newly-revived Pikachu and Lucario by his side. Charizard, who looked just as shocked at the explosive power of Pupitar's new attack, flew over while being followed by Gengar and Pidgeot. Together, Ash and his other Pokémon were able to lift the three hundred and thirty-five pound Rock/Ground-type Pokémon back up from the ground.

"Pupitar, are you okay?" Ash asked his Pokémon.

"Tar," Pupitar said weakly.

It was at that second that the automatic back doors of the Pokémon Center opened and four figures ran out. They were Gary, Misty, Tracey, and the Yudon Town Pokémon Center Nurse Joy.

"Oh my," Nurse Joy said as she stopped in front of them. "Are you all okay?"

"We're fine," Cilan told her.

"Yeah," Iris nodded. "Just a little bit sore."

"What happened?" Tracey inquired. "When we heard the explosion, we came as quickly as we could."

"Well, we had been training when Pupitar suddenly used Hyper Beam for the first time," Ash began to explain, "but when I asked him to try and use it again, the attack just self-destructed for some reason."

"Hang on," Gary said as he gave Pupitar a good look over, "did you just say that it used Hyper Beam for the first time?"

"Yeah," Ash said, giving his former rival a nod.

"Hmm," Gary murmured. He rubbed his hand on his chin as he stared intensely at Ash's Pupitar. They all watched on as Gary stared at Pupitar with deep thought.

"Tar?" Pupitar said. He was confused as to why the teen was staring at him so strangely.

"Uh, Gary?" Ash sweat-dropped. The grandson of Professor Oak did not say a word.

"Is there something wrong, Gary?" Misty asked the spiky-haired brunette.

"Not really," Gary finally said as he looked over at Ash. "Don't worry about it too much, Ash. This is all natural."

"Natural?" Ash repeated in confusion. "You mean, like N back in Unova?"

"That guy was anything but _natural_," Iris muttered.

Gary shook his head. "No, Ash. I mean that this is all a part of Pupitar's growth. In fact, since he's started to be able to use Hyper Beam, it's only a matter of time before Pupitar will evolve."

Several of the others gasped. Ash, in particular, had a shocked look on his face. "Really? Pupitar's gonna evolve soon?"

Gary nodded. "Yeah. From what I've read in my grandfather's lab notes, when Pupitar start being able to use Hyper Beam, that means that they're soon going to evolve. However, Pupitar will only be able to evolve once he's mastered the attack and can use it perfectly each time. And that could take weeks of special training. Maybe even months."

"Months?" Ash looked down at Pupitar for a moment. Then, a determined look appeared on his face. "Well, we're going to master that Hyper Beam! Right, Pupitar?"

"Tar!" Pupitar grunted happily. All of the sudden, in its happiness, Pupitar began forming another pale pink orb with white energy around it.

"Pupitar, no!" Ash yelled just as the orb exploded. Everyone was knocked off of their feet to the ground and black smoke covered the area. As the smoke cleared, everyone was lying on the ground with dazed expressions on their faces. It was then that three other people and a small, blue, bird-like Pokémon came out of the Pokémon Center.

"Nurse Joy!" Brock exclaimed with hearts in his eyes. He sped over to her and lifted her up off of her feet. "So, we meet again, my love. Once again, I've been caught up in the explosive power that is my love for _ACK!_"

It was at that point that Brock keeled over and landed flat on his face. Everyone was shocked to see his Croagunk standing behind Brock with his hand currently glowing bright purple.

"Croa," Croagunk said as his orange cheeks puffed out while he had a creepy smile on his face. He then grabbed Brock by the ankle and dragged him away.

"Um," Nurse Joy said with a confused look on her face. "If everything's alright now, I'm going to head back to work. Have a nice day, kids!"

With that, the pink-haired nurse went back inside the Pokémon Center.

As this was happening, May got down on her knees next to Ash just as he sat back up. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah," Ash coughed. "Just a little explosion. I've been hit with way worse than that."

May smirked and stood up before helping the raven-haired teen back onto his feet. As Ash stood back up, he realized something. "Hey, May. Where are Brendan, Winter, and Orange?"

"They left earlier this morning for Elza City," May explained. "They said something about there being a gym there that they wanted to challenge."

"A gym?" Ash repeated. He had a sort of twinkle in his eye. "In Elza City?"

"Yeah," May nodded. She looked at Ash weirdly. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I am!" Ash said enthusiastically. "A new gym means that I can finally get my fifth Gym Badge! Everyone, we're heading for Elza City!"

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu said as he climbed onto Ash's shoulder. The two of them began marching off until Dawn said, "Uh, Ash, where's Gavin?"

Ash stopped right in his tracks and turned around. "Uh, I haven't seen him all morning."

"Well, shouldn't we find him first before we leave?" Dawn asked.

"Can't we just leave him?" Ash suggested.

"Ash!" May said with a shocked and slightly angry look on her face. "This is your cousin we're talking about! You're not seriously going to leave your own blood relative behind, are you?"

"Is that a trick question?" Ash inquired. An angry look appeared on May's face that caused Ash to become extremely nervous as beads of sweat ran down Ash's forehead as he stared at May's murderous red face. "Um, May?"

The others all flinched while May stepped hard onto Ash's toe, causing Ash to yell out in pain. As soon as May lifted her foot off of Ash's toe, Ash breathed heavily in and out before looking back at May. She had a look of disappointment on her face.

"Fine," Ash grumbled while glaring at May. "But how are we supposed to find him? He could be anywhere by now."

"He's probably off meditating somewhere with Pichu," Meowth said. He then got up and said, "I'll go look for those guys."

"Are you sure, Meowth?" Ash asked.

"Of course, I'm sure," Meowth replied with a grin. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Don't leave without us!" With that, the cat ran off into the park while the others watched on until he was out of sight.

"Ash, are you sure that it's a good idea to send Meowth off to look for them all by himself?" Leaf asked.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Ash shrugged. "He couldn't get in that much trouble just going to look for Gavin, could he?"

…

Ash sighed. "I'd better go look for him."

Just as the raven-haired trainer turned to go follow his Pokémon, he was stopped in his tracks when he saw someone standing right in front of him that said, "Hello!"

"Gah!" Ash yelped. He jumped back in surprise and fell to the ground, landing on his behind.

"Ash!" May said in shock. She immediately reached down to help him up, but was stopped when she saw the person that had surprised Ash offer his hand.

It was a teenage guy about Ash's age who looked to be slightly taller than the Pallet Town native with blue hair and green eyes. He wore a multicolored jester cap on his head, a white T-shirt that had the words "Have fun and laugh!" imprinted on the front in black letters, a pink jacket with a yellow smiley face on the back, yellow pants, and plaid green shoes. As well, he had a goofy grin on his face and a small pink Pokémon sitting on his shoulder.

"Mime-mime," the Mime Jr. waved.

"Sorry about that," he said apologetically. "I guess _fall_ came a bit earlier this year than it should have, huh?"

After saying this, he let out a high-pitched laugh that sounded more irritating than someone scraping their nails on a chalkboard. Ash and the others all covered their ears at the sound of his laugh. Strangely enough, the guy's Mime Jr. didn't seem to mind it at all and instead laughed with him. The guy then held his hand back out to the still-sitting Ash and said, "The name's Chester. Nice to meet you."

Ash grabbed Chester's hand, but the moment that he did, he felt a shocking sensation that caused him to yelp and quickly pull his hand away. Chester laughed and showed Ash his hand. Ash was shocked to see that there was a joy buzzer on the guy's hand.

"Do you know why they call it a 'joy buzzer'?" Chester asked. He let out a quick giggle before stifling it. "Because _your_ pain is _my_ joy! Bwhahahahahahaha!"

Once again, Chester let out his hyena laugh, causing the others to glare at him with annoyed expressions. While he laughed, May reached down and helped Ash back up onto his feet.

"What was that for?" Ash inquired angrily.

"Oh, come on now," Chester grinned. "That was comedy gold! You could at least let out a chuckle!"

"Uh, dude," Gary interjected, "that was not funny."

"Yeah," Leaf nodded in agreement. "That was just mean."

Chester immediately turned and smiled at Leaf. "You're right. That was a bit mean. I apologize. Please accept this gift as a symbol of my apology."

The clown quickly whipped out a yellow flower from his pocket and offered it to Leaf. Leaf was speechless and her cheeks turned red.

"Um…," she murmured as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. Just as she was about to take the flower from him, however, the flower squirted her with water from the place where the pollen should have been.

"Gah! Gah! Hey! Cut it out!" Leaf sputtered as she was sprayed in the face with water.

"What the lady wants, she gets," Chester said with a grin. He pushed a button on the flower and the spraying of water ceased immediately. Everyone gasped in horror. Leaf was now soaking wet and her hair was now dripping constantly. Even her hat looked a bit drenched. She had an angry look on her face as her cheeks burned bright red with embarrassment.

"Sorry that my act got you all wet," Chester giggled. Leaf was not amused.

"That was completely inappropriate!" Leaf growled. "Just who do you think you are?

"Why, I'm just a man who seeks to make everyone laugh," Chester said with a bow. "Is that so wrong?"

"It is when you do horrible pranks like that," Gary said sternly. "You need to stop right now."

"Yeah!" Max added. Everyone else nodded while Chester looked back at them with an emotionless face.

Chester sighed. "Nobody ever understands my comedic genius. Oh, well. I guess I have no other choice. Mime Jr., use Trick!"

"Mime, mime!" Mime Jr. nodded. Mime Jr.'s body suddenly became outlined in a light blue light and it raised its hands up as numerous rocks floated up into the air. The rocks flashed light and disappeared before multiple new objects appeared in their place. When Ash and the others saw what they were, every single one of their eyes widened.

"My badge case!" Ash exclaimed. Sure enough, the black case that contained his four Amaro League badges was now floating behind Chester with a light blue outline around it. Ash quickly opened up his backpack and was shocked to see that one of the rocks that had been floating in the air previously was now sitting in his bag. Mime Jr.'s Trick had just stolen his badges and all he got in return was a rock. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one that was stolen from.

"Our ribbon case!" May and Dawn both screamed when they had looked in May's bag and had instead found a small, brown rock sitting in its place. The case containing the two Contest ribbons that they had won so far in Amaro was now levitating in the air close to Ash's badge case and several other items that had been stolen from their friends, including Max's Pokédex, Leaf's collection of elemental stones that she had won at the Kafue Town Battle Tournament, Tracey's sketch booklet, Gary's laptop containing all of his research, Misty's favorite Luvdisc-shaped lure, Cilan's custom fishing rod, Iris's case of wings that she had won back at a tournament in Unova, and strangely enough, a small black book.

"No!" Brock wailed in agony. He was down on his knees with tears streaming out of his eyes. "Not my 'Book of Beautiful Ladies'! Anything but that, please!"

The light blue outline surrounding each of the objects soon faded and the objects began to fall down to the ground. Everyone thought that their stuff was going to fall and hit the ground, but surprisingly, Chester whipped out a large brown sack and used it to catch all of the things that he had stolen from the teens. He then tied up the bag, put it over his shoulder as if he was Santa Claus, and turned around as he ran off from them into the trees surrounding them.

"I wish I could stay, but then I wouldn't be a very good thief, would I?" Chester yelled back with a laugh. "So long, suckers!"

As Chester ran off into the park woods, the teens just stood there staring after him with a mixture of shock and surprise. A few moments later after Chester had disappeared from sight, Ash shook it off and yell, "Hey! Get back here with my badges!"

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu shouted in agreement. The mouse jumped up onto his trainer's shoulder as Ash recalled his Pokémon back into their Pokéballs. Once that had been dealt with, Ash charged towards the woods after the clown.

"Ash! Wait!" May said in exasperation. She quickly ran after the teen and was followed by Dawn and Piplup. The others looked at each other in confusion.

"Should we try to stop them?" Vivi asked. "I mean, it could be a trap, and…"

"COME BACK HERE WITH MY 'BOOK OF BEAUTIFUL LADIES'!" Brock yelled angrily as he stormed into the forest after the three other teens.

Gary, Leaf, Tracey, Max, Misty, Iris, and Cilan all soon followed their friends, leaving Vivi there by herself. She facepalmed herself and gave a groan. "Why do I even travel with these guys anyway?" she muttered. Finally, she decided to run after them into the woods just to help make sure there wasn't any trouble. Once they had all entered the mass of trees, it was quiet for a moment. Then, all of the sudden, there was a _SNAP_, followed by a bunch of people screaming, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

><p>Pichu's ears twitched and he immediately stopped eating. "Pi?" he squeaked in confusion.<p>

"What's wrong, Pichu?" Gavin asked his partner.

"Pi-chu-pi!" Pichu said, pointing towards the bushes. Gavin turned to where he was pointing just as the green shrubs began to rustle and shake as if there was something in them.

"Who's there?" Gavin inquired. He put his hand to his belt, ready to grab one of his Pokéballs in case he needed to bring someone out to defend against a wild Pokémon. At the same time, Pichu hunched down and glared at the rustling bush in anger. His cheeks began to spark with yellow electricity. They stood like that for a few more moments until something suddenly began to crawl out of the bush.

"Oh, there yous guys ar-BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

There was a bright yellow light as Pichu released a Thundershock attack at the thing that came out of the bush. When he finally stopped, the glow faded away and both Gavin and Pichu were shocked when they saw who it was. It was Meowth, who was now lying with his chest on the ground. His fur was frizzled from Pichu's attack and he had a dazed look on his face.

"Meowth/Pi-chu?" Gavin and Pichu both exclaimed in astonishment.

"Oh, hey, guys," Meowth said with a dizzy look on his face. He had managed to stand back up, but he currently had swirls in his eyes and he was having trouble keeping his balance. He tilted from left to right until he was finally able to shake it off. He then glared at the other two and yelled, "What's the big idea, shocking me like that? You could've singed my fur!"

"Sorry about that," Gavin apologized, "but we didn't know that it was you. What's up?"

"Ash and the others are ready to go," Meowth told him. "We're just waiting on you."

"Right," Gavin said, feeling uneasy. He couldn't leave yet. He still hadn't met with the field agent! What was he going to do?

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Meowth looked up and his eyes widened. "What was that?" he asked.

"It sounded like Ash and the others," Gavin noted. Then, he realized something. "Dawn! They must be in some kind of trouble!"

"What? Trouble?" Meowth babbled. Both he and Pichu looked shocked at this revelation.

"We'd better go see what's going on," Gavin decided. "Come on, guys!"

"Right/Pi!" Meowth and Pichu nodded. With that, the teen and the two Pokémon took off as fast as they could back to the Pokémon Center. It took them about five minutes to get through all of the trees, bushes, and such, but eventually, they were able to make it back to the clearing behind the Pokémon Center where Ash and the others had been training earlier. Except this time, the clearing was empty. None of their friends were there to be found. The place was deserted.

"Gah!" Meowth gasped. "Yous guys don't think that they decided to leave without us, do ya?"

Gavin shook his head. "No, that's not it. They wouldn't just leave without us like that. Something's not right. Where could they have possibly gone?"

"They ran off into the woods and got captured by a clown."

The three of them turned around to see a figure standing behind them. He was wearing a brown cloak that covered his body with a hood that shrouded most of his face. They could see his mouth just barely, but the rest was covered. Also, sitting on his shoulders were two Aipom that both grinned at the three with their creepy grins. The figure smirked and said, "Hey there. Long time, no see."

"Do I know you?" Gavin asked, tilting his head in confusion.

The figure chuckled. "Oh, come on. Surely you haven't forgotten about your best friend and most powerful rival of all time, have you, Gavin?"

"Most powerful rival?" Gavin repeated. "Walker, is that you?"

The figure grinned. "Yes, it's me! The one and only, Walker!" He threw off his cloak, and sure enough, Gavin's oldest rival Walker was standing there with a goofy grin on his face.

Meowth and Pichu gasped. "Walker?" Meowth said in confusion.

"Hey, guys!" he said happily. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em>Chapter 53: "Rescue Mission Start! The Maze of Doom!"<em> – To our heroes' shock, Walker has returned to the fray! But with Ash and the others captured by this mysterious guy, Chester, what will happen now? Find out in the next installment of "Pokémon: League of Ultimates!"

**Okay, so first off, I hope that you guys enjoyed the chapter and I'm sorry about the long wait! I'm sorry that it was short, but I had to kind of change a few things so that I could update today! Please read and review!**

**Now, I'll explain my absence. Back in December right after I posted the last chapter, I got straight to work on Chapter 52. I got a few pages in, but then, all of the sudden, I hit a wall. Writer's Block was killing me and I couldn't figure out how to write more. It was worse than some of my other blocks. So, I decided to work on a few other stories for a little bit to try and take a short break from PLOU so that I could come back to it at some point and continue it. Then, I got caught up writing a few chapters for different stories before I was hit with a ton of school work back in February. Then, I was on Spring Break last week, but I had no time to work on anything because I was scheduled to work for six days straight! When I finally got a day off on Sunday, I tried to work on a chapter for a story that I've been working on with a few other Advanceshippers for the Advancers site, a site where I'm a moderator by the way. Then, I was hit with Writer's Block on that. I was so mad! I couldn't figure out what to do. It was at that point when Itssupereffective, who's been gone for about as long as I have, updated his awesome fic "The Betrayed Champion." I got a few complaints from some a few reviewers about the wait on my story, but then after I talked with Itssupereffective over PM recently, I got the urge to work on this again! So, I got straight to work today and soon enough, I finished it. It's not exactly the best chapter that I've written since my writing style has developed since I last worked on it and I didn't want to have to go back and rewrite it, but I'm still glad that I was finally able to get back to work on this. I wouldn't doubt it if a lot of my fans deserted me, which I probably deserve anyway.**

**Once again, I apologize about the wait, and I'll try to update a bit quicker next time, but at the moment, I can promise a consistent update schedule. Starting this weekend and next week, I begin the busiest part of my semester where I'll have to deal with essays, projects, tests, writing assignments, and a research paper! I'll work on this and my other stories when I get free time, but no promises on a fast updating schedule. I can say that I won't wait three months to update again, however, as this summer, I'm not taking any summer classes this time. I'll probably be working a bit more often than I have been, but I'll hopefully be able to post more chapters then. Also, I was still writing while I was absent from here. There's a collaboration that I've been working on that you all can find on the Advanceshipping forum that I'm a moderator on known as the Advancers. If you wanna join, just search "Advancers Proboards", and you should be able to find it. A lot of other Advanceshipping writers and authors are there, including me, itssupereffective, and The Shiny Gengar, who has posted there what was set to be his greatest story ever, "Civil War"! Feel free to join as all new members are welcome! Hope that you all will consider it!**

**Another note: For all of those who have been waiting for me to update Awake or the Kyurem fic, it's probably not gonna happen. I can't seem to find the inspiration to finish those, so they're on permanent hiatus until further notice. I will still be working on PLOU, as well as Fusion Warriors, but it may be a longer wait on the latter as I'm working on something big for that one. So, that was just to let you all know!**

**With that being said, I bid you all adieu! See ya next time!  
><strong>


	53. Chapter 53

**Hey, guys! Told ya that I'd have the next chapter done sooner! XD I hope you all like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. If I did, Ash wouldn't have lost to Cameron in the Unova League. **

_Chapter 53: "Rescue Mission Start! The Maze of Doom!"_

Gavin blinked a few times as he, Pichu, and Meowth stood there and continued to stare at Walker and the two Aipom on his shoulders in silence. He didn't know what to say. He could feel himself fidgeting because of the awkward silence. Finally, he managed to blurt out, "Walker, what are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Walker said with a smug look on his face. "I brought you something."

"Brought me something?" Gavin repeated. He was confused. Why would Walker be bringing him something? Then, his eyes widened in realization. "They didn't."

"Oh, yes, they did!" Walker grinned. He reached his hand into his pants pocket and pulled out a gold-colored badge that looked similar to a police officer's badge. "You're looking at the newest field agent of the International Police! And I'm here to make a delivery to the IP's top agent, Gavin Ketchum!"

Gavin's eyes went even wider in fear when he realized what Walker had just said in front of Meowth. "WALKER, NO!"

Walker put his hands over his mouth. "Oops."

"_Oops_? OOPS? You freaking blabbermouth!" Gavin yelled. His hands were clenched, his heart was racing, sweat was running down his brow, and he could feel himself shaking. He looked over at his cousin's Pokémon with fear.

"Huh?" Meowth tilted his head at Gavin in confusion. "International Police? Top agent? What's he talking about Gavin?"

Gavin gave a large gulp. "Well, you see…"

…

"SAY WHAT?"

Meowth's jaw had dropped and he had a shocked look on his face as he looked at Gavin in surprise. "You're telling me that you're an agent for the International Police like Looker, and you haven't told anyone?"

"Uh, maybe?" Gavin said, twiddling his fingers in his nervousness. "You see, I'm kind of one of their top agents and was assigned a job to deal with the problems with Team Umbra here in Amaro."

"A t-top agent?" Meowth stuttered. "Why didn't you tell any of us?"

"Because I'm not supposed to!" Gavin snapped. "I was ordered to never let any of you know about my true identity unless it was absolutely necessary! However, since Walker opened his big mouth…"

"Hey, I resent that notion!" Walker interrupted.

"Will you be quiet already?" Gavin shouted, causing Walker to immediately become silent. "If I told any of the others that I was an agent for the International Police, Team Umbra might kill them!"

Meowth's eyes opened up as wide as a Snorlax's stomach. He was completely dumbstruck by Gavin's answer. Finally, he managed to say, "They'll _kill_ them?"

Gavin nodded gravely. "This is why I need you to keep this a secret, Meowth. Please. None of them can know. Especially Ash or Dawn."

Meowth looked down at the ground and thought about it for a moment. Finally, he looked back up at Gavin and answered, "All right, you're secret's safe with me. But what are we going to do right now? Ash and the others could be anywhere by now!"

"Well, actually, they chased the clown into the woods right over there, and then they got captured," Walker said informatively. "I saw the entire thing go down."

Gavin, Pichu, and Meowth glared over at Walker. "Um, Walker?" Gavin said. "One question. If you were there the whole time, why didn't you try and stop them before they got captured by a psycho clown?"

"Well, I was waiting for you," Walker said to him. "I didn't want to get distracted from my first assignment as an official field agent. It might look bad on my record."

"Walker, wouldn't it look bad on your record if you let innocent people get kidnapped and didn't try to save them?" Gavin asked.

…

"Hot buttered biscuits, you're right!" Walker exclaimed with a look of severe worry on his face. "What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do? If the agency finds out about this, I'll get in so much trouble! They might even demote me back to an Intel person, or worse… the guy who goes and gets the doughnuts! I don't want to have to do that again! I'm allergic to honey-glaze!"

At Walker's statement, the other three facepalmed themselves in their embarrassment. "Is that seriously what he's worried about?" Meowth inquired. "An allergy to honey-glazed doughnuts?"

"They give me hives, man," Walker said to Meowth. "I don't want to have to go to the emergency room again. That place is seriously expensive, and I don't have health insurance."

"Well, Walker, if you don't want to be 'Doughnut Boy' again, you're going to have to help us save the others," Gavin told him. "You and your two… Aipom? Walker, when did you get another Aipom?"

"Huh?" Walker raised his eyebrow in confusion. "What other Aipom?" he asked. Then, his eyes widened in realization. "Oh, you mean 'Zozo'? She's not an Aipom. She just likes transforming into Aipom. Hey, Zozo, change back to normal, would ya?"

The Aipom on his left shoulder grinned and snickered devilishly while its eyes glowed a light blue color. Then, it jumped into the air and did a back flip. It rapidly spun backwards until its body began to glow and it formed a pink ball. A few seconds later, it came back down and landed back on Walker's shoulder. To Gavin, Pichu, and Meowth's surprise, the Aipom had changed form and was now a slate-gray, foxlike creature with triangular ears that had dark insides and it had a scruff of fur on the top of its head that was tipped with red coloration. Its eyes were now light blue with no pupils, it had red eyebrow-like markings and eyelids, it had a ruff of black fur around its neck, its tail was bushy, and its feet had red tips on them. As it saw the others staring at it, it snickered once again.

"Guys, meet my new Zorua, Zozo," Walker said as to rub the Tricky Fox Pokémon's head affectionately. "I got her just last week. Isn't she just precious?"

"Uh, yeah," Gavin said as he looked upon his friend rubbing on his Pokémon's head with embarrassment. "_Precious_."

While Gavin and Meowth stared at Walker and Zozo awkwardly, Pichu noticed that Aipom was glaring at Zozo angrily. It seemed as if it was jealous of the love and affection that Walker was giving Zozo instead of it. To be honest, Pichu understood what his rival was going through. There were times that he would be jealous of the love and affection that Gavin would give Dawn from time to time. But then, they would do that weird thing with their mouths and cause him to throw up. Dawn could have that kind of affection, because Pichu didn't want it one bit. If Gavin ever tried to do that mouth thing to him, Pichu would probably electrocute him, throw up, and then gargle about ten gallons of mouthwash. Pichu's stomach churned just thinking about that possibility.

"Okay, so who exactly was this clown that you said captured them anyway?" Gavin asked.

Walker shrugged. "I'm not sure. I've never seen him before. All I know is that his jokes were terrible. I'm much better at telling jokes than him."

"How did he capture them?" Gavin inquired.

"He had his Mime Jr. use Trick to steal a bunch of their things from them," Walker answered. "Then, he ran into the woods, they chased him, and then I assumed that they were captured when I heard them all scream. That's all I know."

"Well, I guess we'll have to go in there after them," Gavin decided. He then took a Pokéball off of his belt, threw it into the air, and called out, "Leafeon, come on out!"

In a flash of blue light, the Verdant Pokémon appeared in front of her trainer. She smiled and mewed, "Lea-lea!"

"Hey, Leafeon," Gavin said to the Grass-type. "Ash and the others have been captured by some sinister psycho clown. I know that Dawn's probably wearing that lavender-scented perfume she likes so much, so do you think that you could try sniffing her out?"

"Leaf!" Leafeon nodded. She got down on the ground and began sniffing the area while the others stood there waiting patiently. Finally, after a few moments of intense sniffing, Leafeon lifted her head up and smiled at him. "Leaf!"

"Leafeon says that she's got the scent!" Meowth interpreted happily.

"Great!" Gavin said, beaming at his Pokémon. "Let's go find the others!"

With that, the two teens and the five Pokémon ran off into the woods, not knowing what dangers awaited them inside the dark mass of trees.

* * *

><p>The seven of them walked through the woods for about twenty minutes as they followed Gavin's Leafeon as she tracked the scent of Dawn's perfume. It wasn't exactly their favorite experience as there was no clear path through the woods. So, they ended up having to squeeze between trees, bushes, shrubs, and other forms of foliage. Walker even got a splinter from putting his hand on a certain tree that was a bit more brittle than some of the others.<p>

"Could you please pull it out?" Walker asked. Tears fell out of his eyes as he clutched his hand where a sharp piece of wood sat in the skin of his palm. "It _really_ hurts!"

Gavin sighed. "Fine, get over here."

…

_PWOINK!_

"YOW!"

It kept going on like this until they suddenly found themselves standing in front of a large structure made of tall, brick walls that reached up to a height of about fifteen feet high. The entire structure looked to be about two hundred feet long and fifty feet wide. There was no roof on it, but in the center of it, there was a wooden door painted white with a golden door knob. Strangely enough, there was a doorbell on the side of it, as well as an intercom speaker that had a talk button above it.

"So…," Walker began. "What do you think it is?"

"How should I know?" Gavin snapped.

"You're the top agent," Walker pointed out.

"Walker, just ring the bell," Gavin growled.

Walker pushed the button and they all heard a loud bell chime throughout the structure. It was a few seconds before a voice said over the intercom, "_Knock, knock!_"

Gavin and Walker looked at one another in confusion. "Uh, who's there?" Walker asked as he pushed the talk button.

"_Ach._"

"Ach who?"

"_Haha, I made you sneeze!_"

Gavin slammed the talk button in and snarled, "Look, are you the clown that kidnapped my friends?"

"_Well, I wouldn't say 'kidnapped',_" the voice answered. "_Most of them are teens, so I would say that I 'teennapped' them. And then there's the case of their Pokémon, so then you could say…_"

"Look, I don't have time for this!" Gavin yelled. "Let my friends go!"

"_Oh, but that would be two easy for a top agent and a field agent of the International Police_," he said with a hyena-like chuckle. "_You'll have to pass a test if you want to get them back."_

"What kind o' test?" Meowth asked.

"_Nothing much_," the voice said. "_All you have to do is make it through my… wait for it… MAZE OF DOOM!_"

The wooden door abruptly opened up as if electronically. Once it had opened up completely, Gavin and Walker were shocked to see what looked like a giant labyrinth with brick walls making up most of it. The voice snickered. "_Isn't it 'a-maze-ing'? All you have to do is go through the maze. If you find me, I'll let your friends go unharmed. But be warned: there are traps everywhere. Plus, if you don't get to me in two hours, I'm going to blow up your friends! Have fun!_"

"Why you little-," Gavin started to say, but the intercom went silent. Gavin sighed. "I guess that we'd better get started. Leafeon, do you still have Dawn's scent?"

"Leaf-leaf!" Leafeon nodded.

"Good," Gavin grinned. "Let's go."

The seven of them took their first few steps through the door into the maze. As soon as they all entered the maze, the door behind them slammed shut and a bunch of buckets filled with ice cold water fell down on them.

"Gah!" Meowth yelled. "That's cold!"

"Pi-chu!" Pichu shivered in agreement.

They heard the voice over the intercom say, "_Aw, you're all wet! Sorry if the water's too cold for ya! You looked a bit mad, so I thought that I'd cool ya all down! Enjoy!_" He gave another one of his spine-chilling laughs before the intercom resumed its silence. Gavin and Walker stood there soaking wet and shaking in anger.

"I really hate that guy," Gavin growled as he quivered and shook his cold, wet body.

"Uh, Gavin?" Walker said in a muffled voice, tapping Gavin's shoulder. Gavin turned around and was shocked to see a metal bucket squeezed over Walker's head. It was as if he was a bucket-headed guy with a teenage male's body. "I can't see. Did that clown guy take out the sun?"

Gavin sighed. "No, you just have one of the buckets stuck on your head."

"Oh," Walker replied. "You know, it's strange, but this is like the fifth time this year that this has happened to me."

"Fifth?" Meowth said with a confused look on his face. "How did it happen the first four times?"

"Let's just say that before I was promoted to Intel, I was working as a janitor at the agency," Walker answered.

"Hee-hee-hee!" Zozo snickered, causing Aipom to glare at her angrily.

"So could you guys get this thing off of me?" Walker asked.

"Sure," Gavin said, "just give me Tut's Pokéball."

"Tut?" Walker repeated. "What do you need him for?"

"I'm going to use him to pull off the bucket," Gavin explained.

"But why Tut?" Walker inquired.

"Would you rather I use Gyra?" Gavin queried.

…

"Fair enough. Here you go."

Walker handed Tut's Pokéball over to Gavin. Gavin tossed it up into the air, and in a burst of bright blue light, the golden and blue sarcophagus with red eyes, a deviant grin, and four ghostly black arms appeared. As it floated a couple of inches off the ground, the Cofagrigus looked at Gavin and murmured, "Cof-a-grigus."

"Hey there, Tut," Gavin smiled. "Your trainer's got a bucket stuck on his head. Do you think you can help me get it off?"

"Cof-a-grigus," Tut nodded with his invisible neck. He floated over to his trainer and placed all four of his ghostly appendages onto the bucket. Once he had a firm grip on the metal can, Tut began to pull as it could. It kept pulling until the bucket finally came off.

"Yay, it worked! Now, we can WHOA!" Walker yelled. Due to his abrupt release from the bucket, Walker was completely off balance and began to stagger forward towards Gavin and the others. Gavin and the Pokémon tried to step backwards away from Walker so that he wouldn't run into them, but then everybody except for Tut ended up tripping over what they could only assume was an invisible tripwire. They all began to fall backwards, along with Walker, who had tripped over the wire as well in his state of imbalance. As they fell to the ground, they thought the worst was just going to be hitting the ground hard, but when the two teens and the Pokémon landed, they heard a few cracks and crumbles before the ground opened up and they all fell into a large pit that was at least ten feet deep. Meanwhile, Tut floated over the pit, laughing at his trainer and the others' misfortune.

As the group sat moaning in the pit, they heard the voice over the intercom say, "_Hey, guys! Welcome to Pittsburgh! Population: You. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_" The microphone cut off.

"Ugh," Meowth groaned in pain. "Now I know how the twerp must have felt during me, Jessie, and James' pitfall craze."

"Is everybody okay?" Gavin asked.

"Pi-chu."

"Ai-pom."

"Leaf."

"Hee-hee-hee-hee!"

"Gavin, the bucket is stuck on my head again."

Gavin sighed and looked up to Walker's Ghost-type Pokémon. "Hey, Tut, do you think you can get us out of here?" he asked.

"Cof-a-grigus," the Coffin Pokémon nodded. His eyes began to glow a light green color and he raised all four of his arms up into the air. Light green outlines appeared around the seven of their bodies and they began to float up out of the hole and were placed gently back down onto solid ground above the pit. Tut then used his Telekinesis attack again to pull the bucket off of Walker's head.

"Thanks, Tut," Walker said appreciatively.

"Grigus," Tut grinned.

Gavin stared down the maze pathway. "All right, we're going to have to be really careful from now on. This guy is tricky and I'm sure there's plenty more traps to come. Let's stay on our toes. Unless there's any more pitfalls. In that case, make sure to stay _off_ of your toes."

"Oh, come on, Gavin," Walker said calmly. "I'm sure that we'll be fine. I'll bet that was the only pitfall at all in this maze."

The new field agent grinned and took another step forward. It was at that point that all of them but Tut fell into another pit. As they lay in the pit, they heard the voice over the intercom laugh and say, "_Hey, what do you know? Two hole-in-ones in a row, and I've never even played a game of golf in my life! Sweet!_"

…

"I _really_ hate that clown…"

* * *

><p>As Gavin, Walker, and the Pokémon continued to travel through the seemingly impossible maze, Chester sat in his technical booth at the end of the maze, chuckling to himself as he watched his prey fall into pitfall after pitfall on the special hidden cameras that he had placed all throughout the maze. He was ecstatic. He couldn't remember a day that he had ever had as much fun torturing people before today.<p>

"This rocks! I'm so glad that Crystalline assigned us to this job," he snickered. He turned to the Pokémon on his shoulder and said, "Wouldn't you agree, Mime Jr.?"

Mime Jr. nodded and laughed, "Mime-mime!"

Chester grinned and was about to turn back towards the screen when he suddenly heard a female voice groan. He turned around in his spinning chair away from his video monitors and looked at what was behind him. It was there that Ash and the others were all tied up and leaning fast asleep against the wall behind them. From what he could tell, one of them was slowly waking up. It was a blue-haired and blue-eyed girl wearing a white cap with a pink Pokéball symbol on the front. She murmured weakly, "Gavin?"

"Oh, my," Chester said in mock surprise. "It seems like someone's waking up earlier than expected. We'll have to fix that, won't we? Let's have some fun, Jynx!"

He tossed a Pokéball to the ground where it opened and released a flash of light blue glowing light. From that light appeared what looked like a bulky woman with a purple face, pink lips, saucer-like eyes, and long blonde hair. She seemed to be wearing a red gown that covered her feet, and she had white arms connected to purple hands. The Human Shape Pokémon smiled and said, "Jynx."

"Jynx, use Lovely Kiss on that girl," Chester instructed, pointing directly at Dawn.

Jynx nodded and her lips took on a pink glow. She smooched and blew a kiss, releasing a pink wave that was shaped like a heart. The heart went straight towards Dawn and hit her in the face. The blunette's eyes fluttered shut and dropped back down, mumbling, "Gavin," before she fell right back into her deep sleep.

Chester chuckled. "Sweet dreams, princess. Soon, your prince will come. And then he'll die."

* * *

><p>About thirty or forty pitfalls later, Gavin, Walker, and the Pokémon were all finally back on solid ground and there seemed to be no more pitfalls as far as they could tell. Following Leafeon, the group continued on the path they were taking until they came to a fork in the road. One path continued on forward while the other went left. They all stopped and tried to decide which path they would take.<p>

"Leaf-leaf!" Leafeon yipped.

"Leafeon says that the perfume seems to be coming from both directions," Meowth translated.

"Hmm," Gavin said, scratching his head in thought. "Chester must have figured out how we were tracking the others. Looks like we'll have to pick a path."

"Let's just keep moving forward," Walker told him. "Follow me! OW!"

Walker had taken a step forward to continue down the straight path, but was stopped when he ran into some invisible force. As Walker fell back down to the ground, Gavin reached out and tapped what felt like an invisible wall made up of glass. "I can't believe that he would resort to this," Gavin said, surprisingly impressed.

"I could," Walker groaned from the floor. He was then helped up by Aipom and Zozo. "Thanks, Zozo," he said to the Illusion Pokémon.

"Hee-hee-hee-hee!" Zozo snickered in delight as Walker reached down and rubbed on her head. Meanwhile, Aipom was glaring at the Dark-type murderously.

"Poor Aipom," Meowth whispered to Pichu.

"Pi," Pichu nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, they all heard the static of the intercom again. The voice that had been taunting them all of this way laughed. "_Looks like your path isn't as _clear _as you wanted it to be. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_" he said before he giggled like a hyena once again before he turned off the microphone.

Gavin sighed. "Looks like we go left," he said.

The others nodded and they turned left as they continued on to find their friends. It was a few minutes later before they found that the straight path that they were on was a dead end. The thing that really caught their interest was what was on the end of the hallway. Standing there was a large stone pedestal, and sitting on the top of the pedestal was a large, perfectly-cut diamond that was bigger than even Pichu. Gavin raised an eyebrow.

"This is obviously a trap," Gavin decided. "I mean, even a Magikarp could figure that one out. How dumb does he think we are, anyway?"

"Ooh… shiny…," Walker murmured, staring at the diamond in a sort of daze. He slowly began to step down the path towards it.

"Um, Walker?" Gavin said in confusion as he watched his friend start moving towards the large gem. "Walker? Hey, you know that's a trap, right? Walker? Walker!"

"Shiny…," Walker smiled as if he was getting the world's most comfortable massage of all time. He continued to slowly move down the pathway. When he got about halfway, Gavin and the others were shocked when they saw him step towards a section of oddly-placed bricks. Gavin realized what was going on.

"Walker, no!" Gavin shouted, running over to him and grabbing him. He shook him until his friend looked like he had finally broken out of his daze.

"What is it, Gavin?" Walker asked. "I'm just trying to get over towards the Shiny."

"Dude, have you not seen any explorer adventure movies before?" Gavin inquired. Walker shook his head. "Well, whenever there's a path leading down to some sort of a big treasure, there's always a part where someone steps on a trigger that causes panels on the walls to lift up and shoot arrows at you."

"Oh, come on," Walker said, rolling his eyes. "Those are from movies. I seriously doubt that's going to happen now."

Walker turned around, took a step forwards, and his foot landed on a step that pushed down and clicked when he stepped on it. "Uh-oh," Walker gulped. "What was that you said about explorer adventure movies?"

Panels on both the left and right walls began to lift up, and what appeared to be plungers were revealed to have been sitting behind them. Once the panels had all fully lifted up, the walls began to fire plunger arrows at them. Gavin, Walker, and the Pokémon all panicked and started to all run straight down the path towards the diamond sitting on the pedestal. As they did, however, they all stepped on more pressure triggers that caused even more plunger arrows to be fired at them. Most of them weren't hurt, but Walker had gotten one stuck onto his face. Gavin had to drag him down the rest of the path until they finally reached the point where they were safe from any impending plunger arrows.

"I really hope that these things have never been used," Walker said in a muffled tone as Gavin tried to pull the plunger off of him. Eventually, it came off with a _pop_ and Gavin sighed in relief.

"Well, at least that parts over with," Gavin noted, "but it looks like we'll have to figure out some way to get back down that path again without activating any of the pressure triggers. Okay, Walker? Walker? Walker!"

Gavin had just turned around to see that Walker was now holding the diamond in his arms, and sitting in the gem's place was an angry-looking Pichu.

"What?" Walker asked as Gavin and the others all glared at him. "Look, it's simple. I get the diamond, you save your friends, and all Pichu has to do is sit here and not move for the rest of his life. See? Everybody wins!"

"Pi!" Pichu said angrily. He then hopped off of the pedestal and landed in front of Walker, who glared at him.

"You just couldn't be a team player, could you?"

Suddenly, the pedestal where the diamond had once been began to lower down into the floor. Meanwhile, the wall behind it started to go into the floor while the group was shocked to see that behind the wall had been a ramp that had a large rock about the size of a Snorlax perched on top of it. As the wall finally entered the ground completely, the boulder rolled down the ramp and began to move towards them.

"AHHHHH! IT'S COMING FOR US!" Meowth screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Move!" Gavin yelled. At his command, everyone began to run back down the path the way they came while the boulder started to chase after them at a speed that was growing more rapid by the second. When they came to the plunger trap, everyone stepped on triggers and Walker got even more plungers stuck all over him. Eventually, they managed to reach the crossroad where they had been before, but when Walker tried to run down the path where they had fallen down all of those pitfalls, he was stopped after he slammed into another invisible wall.

"WHEN DID THIS FREAKING THING GET HERE?" Walker shouted in anger.

So there they were: Stuck between two invisible glass walls and a giant boulder that was about to come and squash them like bugs. And as they stood there waiting for their impending doom, their tormentor laughed over the intercom and said, "_Well, guys, it's been fun, and I've had a ball, but it looks like you're about to be run over, so I guess I now have to say 'Bon Voyage!'_"

The microphone clicked off and Gavin could feel sweat running down his brow as he awaited his impending doom. Was this how it was all going to end? Being run over by a rock in a deadly maze with Pichu, Walker, Meowth, and the other Pokémon while his beautiful girlfriend, his cousin, and his other friends were held hostage by an insane, psycho clown that had a really messed up laugh? No, this couldn't be it. He had to find a way out of this, but how? Then, his eyes widened as an idea struck him like lightning.

"Pichu, Leafeon, use Thundershock and Magical Leaf to break down that wall!" Gavin yelled, pointing at the wall that had blocked their path before.

"Piiiichuuuuuuuuu!" Pichu said as he released a bolt of yellow electricity from his cheeks at the wall. At the same time, Leafeon let out a barrage of glowing green leaves at the same target.

"Aipom, help out with Swift!" Walker ordered.

"Ai-pom-pom-pom!" Aipom chanted as it swung its glowing white tail and fired a bunch of glowing yellow stars out at the glass barrier.

"And I'll finish it up with a little Pay Day!" Meowth called out as he crossed his arms and then opened them quickly, releasing a multitude of glowing white balls from the charm on top of his head.

All of the attacks hit their mark and pelted against the glass until the wall shattered, finally unblocking their pathway. As the rock rolled ever closer towards them, Gavin pointed where the glass wall had once been and yelled, "Jump!"

Pichu, Meowth, Leafeon, Zozo, and Aipom all leapt over the broken glass and scurried down the path until they reached the point where they knew that they were safe. Walker and Gavin soon followed, but Gavin stopped and looked back. To his astonishment, he had dropped his sunglasses in the rush, and unless he hurried, they were going to be crushed by the giant rock. He took off running towards them.

"Gavin, what are you doing?" Walker asked in shock. "It's not worth it!"

"Yes, it is!" Gavin called back. "Like my cousin with his hat, I just can't live without my shades!"

"If you don't stop, you won't live at all!" Walker reminded him.

"Don't worry," Gavin grinned. He began to slide down the floor covered in broken glass; wincing a bit as he felt the sharp pieces cut into his legs and arm. Eventually, he got to where his sunglasses were sitting on the ground, grabbed them, and then jumped with all of his might out of the way just as the boulder crashed into the brick wall. As the smoke caused by the crash cleared, Pichu and the others were relieved when they saw that Gavin was still alive with his sunglasses in hand.

"And this is why I'm top agent," Gavin grinned. He began to stand up, but flinched when he felt pain from where the glass on the floor had cut into him. The pain was murder. Walker quickly ran over to him and put Gavin's arm over his own shoulder to help the top agent up.

"Hey, Mr. Top Agent? Never do that again," Walker said with a serious look on his face. "Dawn would kill me if she knew that I had almost let you die like that over a pair of sunglasses."

"Heh, no promises," Gavin managed to say with a smile. He then grimaced when he felt another flash of pain run through him.

"Pi-chu/Leaf!" Pichu and Leafeon both said with looks of concern for their trainer.

"Are you okay?" Meowth asked, looking just as worried as the other two Pokémon.

Gavin nodded. "I'll be fine." He tried to get Walker to take his arm off of him so that he could walk on his own, but then he felt pain bite into him again, and he started to fall to the ground. Luckily, Walker managed to catch him with the help of Aipom and Zozo.

"Thanks, Zozo," Walker said to his Pokémon.

"Hee-hee-hee-hee!" Zozo snickered with delight. At the same time, Aipom, who had helped get Gavin back up as well, glared at the Zorua, wishing that it could tear the little fox apart.

Gavin looked down the path ahead. "We're almost there. Let's keep moving." Walker and the others nodded, and then they all continued on towards their destination.

* * *

><p>Slowly but surely the group trudged down the path, but they eventually managed to reach the end of the path where a large room with what looked like a battlefield was sitting. When they entered the room, they noticed that a guy wearing a jester hat, a pink jacket, a white T-shirt, yellow pants, and plaid shoes was standing on the battlefield across from them. On his shoulder sat a Mime Jr., and the guy had a creepy grin on his face.<p>

"Why, hello there!" he said with a laugh. "You finally made it! And with thirty minutes to spare, no less! My, my, you two are quite the agents. Although, one of you looks to be a bit injured."

"No thanks to you, you deranged psychopath!" Gavin snarled.

"Pi-chu!" Pichu growled in agreement.

"Sticks and stones will break your bones, but words that I don't know the meaning to will never hurt your ol' pal Chester here!" Chester said with a hyena-like snicker.

"Okay, we beat your maze, so let our friends go!" Gavin yelled.

"Uh-uh-uh," Chester said, shaking his finger at the teen. "We still have thirty minutes left before I have to kill you and your friends, so why don't we have a battle to pass the time! It simply is no fun when I have to end the game early."

"Why, you little-," Gavin started to say before he felt another flash of pain hit him that caused him to fall. Luckily, Walker caught him and then gently placed the top agent down with his back against the wall.

"Don't worry, dude," Walker said while grinning. "I've got this. You just leave this clown to the newest IP field agent!"

"Oh-ho-ho!" Chester laughed. "_You_'_re_ going to try to take me down? That joke's funnier than any other joke that I've made today! Do you mind if I borrow it some time?"

"Feel free," Walker said as he stepped up onto the battlefield. "However, it won't be funny as I'm a field agent, I've got a giant diamond, and I'm about to kick your buuuuuuuuutt!"

As soon as he had stepped onto the battlefield, Walker had slipped over a precariously-placed banana peel and fell forward flat onto his face. As he did, he had dropped the diamond that he had been holding, which shattered on the ground into a million pieces to Walker's horror. "B-b-but how?" he stuttered.

Chester laughed. "You really don't think that I would actually leave a giant diamond lying around, do you? That's just cut glass that I use to fool people I pull my pranks on. What do you think? Was that funny enough for you?"

Walker didn't say anything for a moment, but then to Chester's surprise, Walker started to chuckle as he stood up from the ground. "Oh, it's funny," he said with a maniacal grin on his face. "In fact, it's so funny that I'm going to be laughing about it the whole time that I'm _taking you down._"

* * *

><p>Next Chapter: <em>Chapter 54: "The Comedic Battle Begins! Walker vs. Chester!"<em> – After going through a deadly maze of epic proportions, Gavin and Walker have found themselves face-to-face with the deranged clown that kidnapped Ash and the others. Will Walker, the new field agent, be able to win against Chester's mysterious team? Find out next time on "Pokémon: League of Ultimates!"

**I hope that you guys liked it! Please read and review!**

**Okay, so I actually started and finished this chapter the day after I posted Chapter 52, but I wanted to wait a couple of days just in case. Also, don't expect this to be a continuous thing with me from now on because starting next week, I'll be dealing with the last 4 weeks of this semester, and I'm going to be extremely busy from that point on until the end of April. I am still working on Chapter 54 in my spare time, however, and because it's a battle and not a Contest, it won't take me as long as certain other chapters have. And yes, it won't be a three-month wait like last time. It won't be an instant thing like this time, either, but I am working on it just so you all know.  
><strong>

**BTW, I keep forgetting this, but I've had my own special website on Weebly since August. There, you can find out what other stories I've been working on, get a link to the Advancers, an Advanceshipping forum that I'm a moderator on, and even see some of my mediocre artwork! So check it out! **

**Well, that's all I have to say. Thank you all for staying with me and I hope that you will continue to read this story. I'll try to finish Chapter 54 as soon as I can, but until then, see ya!**


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